Young Avengers: Back in Action
by xeikm
Summary: After the Children's Crusade, the Young Avengers make their return just as the Avengers and X-Men go to war against each other. The team will be forced into facing an organization of villains hellbent on releasing an ancient evil to destroy the world. In order to survive, the team will need new and old friends to save the world from destruction.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I know that I said I was done with fan fiction, but this one just couldn't stay asleep. I can proudly say that this story will be my final fan fic. So...Young Avengers: Back in Action will feature the old gang with new allies and villains. I don't want to give out too much detail, but the story will take place before/after Avengers vs X-Men so that should be enough of a hint of some of the things that will happen. However, it will feature a storyline unrelated to the Young Avengers being part of that struggle. So...I guess that's all that needs to be said. Read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!  
**

**Regrouping:**

_We've come a long way from being just a bunch of kids playing superhero. _

_We've gone through hell and back as a family, facing things that no one could possibly imagine. Along the way, we made strong ties with new friends, but we've since then fallen apart from what we used to be. _

_My foolishness caused two of my friends to die, another of my friends has given up faith in himself, and I fear that I caused another to embrace the villain that he was destined to become. All because I provoked the search for the Scarlet Witch, my mother, that led to a war against the Avengers, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom. _

_After that, I vowed never to make those same mistakes again. I, Billy Kaplan, vowed to never allow myself to put my friends into harm's way like that again. It's why I had given up on myself, slipping into the darkest abyss until my boyfriend, the best boyfriend in the world, was able to save me from me. Now, I found that faith back in myself and taken the steps to fully embrace the hero that I knew I was meant to be._

_At least that's what I tried to remind myself as I sat in my sixth period calculus class. My brain felt utterly like goop as I found myself unable to pay even the slightest attention to what the teacher was saying. It was too close to summer vacation and I was in desperate need for a long break even though I haven't done much._

_It's been almost a year since Captain American recognized the Young Avengers as full-fledged Avengers. In a year, we've barely done any work as superheroes. Even with a broken team, we tried to keep the spirit alive as we took down some of the lesser villains that the other Avengers didn't have time to face. Cap and the other Avengers pretty much left us in charge of dealing with the cleanup work, while they handled things like evil Asgardians, Galactus, and things along that nature. But even with our assignments, the Young Avengers haven't been seeing much action._

_And it wasn't from a lack of villainy; it's just difficult after everything that we've been through._

_Tommy has done everything that he could to keep Kate, Teddy, and me going. It's not that easy though since Cassie was killed by Doom, our Vision was destroyed by Nathaniel, Eli quit and left the state, and Nathaniel pretty much decided that he wants to be Kang the Conqueror now. And I'm to blame for all of that since I failed to keep my damn powers in check._

_Stop that, Billy! You know that Teddy would be pissed if he found out that you were still blaming yourself for what happened. I didn't want any of that to happen. I didn't try to get my friends hurt and killed. All I wanted to do was find my mother so that she could help me when I lost control of my powers. Even though Wanda has been remarkably helpful in teaching me control, it still doesn't erase what happened that day._

"_Mr. Kaplan, can you solve for 'x'?"_

_The boom of my teacher's voice snapped me out of it. I straightened myself up at my desk, and I probably looked like a deer caught in a headlight, I was so lost in thought that I had no idea what was going on. I don't even remember the point of the lesson. Great, just what I needed. I was about to make a complete and utter fool of myself. _

_A few of my classmates started to snicker at me as I tried to wing my way out of this one._

_I thought about it for a second when I began to smirk. Why wing it when I could just change the probability of things?_

* * *

Placing her hand on the scanner, Jessica Jones passed the necessary clearance for the doors to open up. She entered the renovated warehouse with a couple bags of groceries in hand since she knew that the boys couldn't fend for themselves. It was utterly amazing to the superhero mom how the boys could handle fighting Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom, but going out to get groceries seemed to be beyond their comprehension. She had to take time out of her busy schedule to make sure that they had at least something remotely healthy to eat.

By why bother wasting her time to yell at them anymore about being responsible? If the lesson hadn't stuck by now then there was no way that Jessica could get it through the thick heads of a Kree-Skrull hybrid and the spiritual, mutant grandson of Magneto.

Unlocking the final door, Jessica entered the Young Avengers' Headquarters with her dark hair flying back from the breeze she created. The young mother heard the noise coming from the TV at the center of the headquarters that served as the Young Avengers' lounge.

And speak of the little devils, there they all were.

With the TV playing a mindless show on MTV, the Young Avengers were all present and accounted for. Billy and Teddy were, as usual, cuddled up against each other on a one-seater, while Tommy and Kate sat on a sofa opposite of the boyfriends. Kate still had her prep-school uniform on, while the boys looked equally dressed up for the classes that they had earlier today. All at once the teenagers started to laugh at something that happened on the show that they were watching.

The open-spaced headquarters was a bit of mess though, especially since it had become Teddy and Tommy's home. The first floor was dedicated more too actual superhero work as the central computer that was now connected to Stark's network was at the back of the building. She even passed by the rec area that the team used and the main restrooms (which were walled off) with the kitchen only a few feet opposite of the lounge at the center of the building. Now for the second floor, it had been split in half with wall constructed so that the boys had their own rooms. That was where both of the boys spent most of their time whenever they didn't have anyone else in the building.

Jessica shook her head though as she stared at each one of them for a second.

Larger than most boys his age, mostly because of his alien ancestry, Teddy Altman was a mass of strength and a very handsome young man. His blond hair was styled into a perfect mess, thanks to his boyfriend, which helped to show off the three piercings on his ear.

Billy Kaplan was sitting on Teddy's lap, with his smaller frame curled against him as his black hair fell from his face and was now against his boyfriend. The fragile looking mage was the spitting image of Tommy Sheppard, mostly because they were the spiritual twin sons of Wanda Maximoff. The big exception was Tommy was leaner and a little more muscular then his brother, plus his shaggy hair was white.

And for Kate Bishop, the leader who was forced to keep the boys in line, she had her head reclined back so her black hair fell off the edge as she fixed the collar to her uniform. She might be petite compared to the boys, but she was firm and solid enough not to mention well-trained and able to even knock Teddy down for a humiliating defeat.

"So you can find the time to laugh at Snooki, but you can't manage to handle buying some groceries for yourselves?" Jessica shouted, her voice primarily focusing on Teddy and Tommy.

All of the Young Avengers pried themselves away from the television though to face the mother of Luke Cage's daughter. Jessica held up the bag of groceries, which was almost instantly out of her hand when the speedster got a hold of them. The breeze came and went as a whirlwind hit the open kitchen across from them until Tommy was back at his seat with a cup of cooked ramen noodles in hand.

"Thanks Jess!" Tommy said, devouring the noodles.

"Thanks Jess," Teddy said, although, far more polite then his roommate had. "I was gonna get to work on that today, but I got kind of busy."

"Busy making out with my brother," Tommy said, between bites.

Kate smacked Tommy, nearly causing him to spill the cup, while Billy and Teddy looked equally as embarrassed. Not that they were ashamed of their relationship, everyone was well aware of the fact that the son of the Scarlet Witch and Captain Mar-Vell's son were romantically involved. No, it was just humiliating whenever Billy's brother seemed to make jokes about them when the opportunity presented itself.

It was Kate though who always had to drag Tommy back from being a total douche though. She gave him an earful around the Civil War debacle, which ended with Tommy feeling like shit and cleaning up his act.

Jessica ignored the joke though since Kate reprimanded him enough. Besides, her feet were tired from all that walking she had to do today, even if it shouldn't have bothered her since she was a superhero. "Don't worry, Teddy, I understand that you have an excuse," she said, sitting down on the couch with Kate and Tommy. "You and Kate are graduating from high school in a few days, I'm sure you're both terribly busy."

"You don't even know the half of it," Kate said, sitting closer to her fellow female. "My sister is practically driving me insane. I thought she was terrible when she was getting married, but she is obsessed with me having a massive graduation party."

"Are we invited?" Tommy asked, leaning against Kate with a toothy grin.

Kate pushed him back, while Teddy and Billy got a laugh at him this time. Jessica chuckled a little as she picked her feet up to watch a pointless show with the Young Avengers.

It was impressive to see them growing though, she had to admit. It seemed like ages ago since Jessica first heard of the Young Avengers at the Daily Bugle, and here they were now. Teddy and Kate were entering adulthood, while the twins weren't too far behind them. And now they were all fully-recognized Avengers, which were something that really astonished Jessica, considering how Tony and Steve wanted nothing more than to have the Young Avengers disbanded.

This was enough to make Jessica wonder what type of mess they would get themselves into next. But despite being Avengers, the team hasn't gotten much field time after the loses that they had suffered from the battle against Doctor Doom. Not that Jessica could blame them; she knew what it was like to lose the people that you cared about. The Young Avengers needed some time to pull themselves back together so that they could continue down the path that they were destined for.

Jessica didn't stay for much longer. She hung around the teenagers long enough to hear Kate and Billy get into a debate about the Jersey Shore; while Teddy yelled at Tommy about not cleaning up the mess he left around their living space. As interesting as all of this was, Jessica had to excuse herself since she wanted to get back to Danielle before her father and Uncle Daniel taught her something bad.

But just as she was getting up, the power in the headquarters was briefly lost for a second. This second didn't go unnoticed as the Young Avengers jumped to their feet a moment before their sirens went off. The Young Avengers ran out of the lounge, moving through the open warehouse until they were at the central monitor.

The screen lit up as it showed Electro attacking Time Square. For whatever reason it was this time, Electro seemed far more deranged then usual as he struck terror, and electricity, at the heart of the city.

"And this is the time where Spiderman shows up to stop Electro," said Tommy.

"He would," said Jessica, "if he wasn't busy working with the Fantastic Four."

Kate turned to Billy who reacted without a moment's pause. The Mutant mage threw his arms up into the air, immediately calling for a wardrobe change.

Billy changed into a black and blue suit with a red cape and an armored band around his head. Kate was changed into her purple suit that exposed her midriff with her glasses on, her armbands to protect her as her bow and arrows were strapped to her back. Tommy had on his green body suit with his orange goggles to protect his eyes for when he moved at superhuman speed. As for Teddy, his clothes changed into a black suit with the sleeves missing as he shifted into a taller, more muscular, green-skinned man.

Wiccan and the rest of the Young Avengers were suited up for battle, and were off to deal with the Electro situation.

"Good luck, kids," Jessica said, while showing herself out.

* * *

It was the middle of the day and Times Square was trapped in a cycle of disaster as surges of electricity created mayhem for the people who were trying to evacuate. The NYPD tried to contained the mess as much as possible, but the super villain situation wasn't something that they could handle this time around. Electro was far too powerful to be stopped as he absorbed half of the city's power grid into his own body, making him virtually invincible.

Electro stepped away from a circuit breaker with his entire body crackling with electrical energy. It caused tares to form on his green uniform, while the electricity also led to the ground cracking from the pressure. The electrical surges rippled through the air to trigger explosions along the nearby buildings with glass shattering everywhere, people screamed loudly in response, and all it did was cause Electro to laugh hysterically.

The situation would only get worse if something wasn't done about Electro soon. Whatever it was that the lunatic was planning, it couldn't be good since the last time he ran wild he had released an army of super villains to attack the city.

Luckily, the Young Avengers finally arrived to the scene to put a stop to his plans. Wiccan and Hulkling especially had a grudge to settle with the villain since they needed to make amends for that failed mission almost two years ago.

Hulkling flew in after Electro, using his Kree abilities to withstand the surge of electricity that would've killed a lesser man. His fist slammed against Electro's face as he used all of the strength to stun the villain before he could do anything else.

For a second, Electro appeared to actually be stunned from the attack. But he quickly bounced back as he hit Hulkling with a surge of electricity that shot the young shape shifter down. Electro growled for a moment before recognizing two of the Young Avengers.

"Didn't I squash you brats a longtime ago?" said Electro. "I guess you kids are a lot more stubborn then I had originally thought. I should've just fried you all like I did to the kid in that futuristic armor." A ball of electricity began to gather between the palms of his hands, while he continued to absorb electricity from elsewhere. Electro was laughing manically as he shot a bolt of electricity up into the air, shooting a nearby building to trigger an electrical fire. "That kid could certainly be helping me absorb all of the city's power so I can take control."

Hulkling picked himself up from the ground, popping his shoulder as his blond hair was blown to the side as he shot a vicious glance from his eyes. He tightened up his fists as he remembered all of that pain that Electro had put them through on their first mission. "You're right," said Hulkling. "We were just stubborn kids back then, but now we're Avengers and we're going to stop you!"

Moving faster than Electro expected, Hulkling punched Electro with all of his might. The impact completely shattered Electro's defenses as the villain was hurled across the road, further away from the civilians. Completely stunned, it even seemed that Electro was out of the fight, at least for the moment.

Wiccan landed on the ground with Speed and Hawkeye now beside him. Hawkeye pulled on her bow as she ordered Speed to help her back Hulkling up, while ordering Wiccan to protect the civilians.

Wiccan flew up into the air as he figured out the best way to protect everyone. He could see that half of the people there were getting out of there as quickly as he could, while the others were just too trapped to make an escape. The only logical thing to do was to construct a wall to protect them, which he did without a moment's hesitation.

The mage's eyes lit up with a surge of magical, blue energy that he used to do what needed to be done to protect the civilians. "IWantToShieldThesePeople," Wiccan chanted, softly. "IWantToShieldThesePeople." The magic did its job as blue, force fields began to come up around the nearby civilians. The walls were strong and would last for a while, but only for as long as Wiccan could focus without interruption.

"Speed!" Hawkeye shouted at her teammate.

"On it, Hawkette!" Speed shouted as he rushed passed his leader.

That would get him an earful later as Hawkeye ran towards a streetlight. She climbed on top of it, using all of her strength to pull her body up. She retrieved an explosive arrow from her quiver and took aim at the villain. She kept herself steady as she waited as Hulkling pummeled Electro again with his fists, while Speed attacked the stunned Electro by triggering a few explosions around the electrifying villain to keep him staggered.

Seeing her opportunity now that Electro's guard was down, Hawkeye released her arrow to do its worst. The arrow flew the road and crashed against the villain, generating a bright explosions and a loud bomb that caught half the city in shock.

At first glance that seemed like it would be the end of Electro, but appearances were always deceiving. Just as Hawkeye was straightening herself up, a bolt of lightning surged from the ground that Electro once stood and would've vaporized her in an instant. Lucky for her that Speed was already moving on full throttle as he took her off the streetlight before Electro's attack blew the thing up.

The scrap metal fell all around them just as Speed and Hawkeye returned to the ground.

"Nice job," said Speed. "I think you just made the guy angrier."

"Yeah, you think?" Hawkeye asked as the smoke finally cleared.

Electro brought his hands together, preparing for his next attack against the Young Avengers. Attempting to intercept him, Hulkling was ready to bash Electro just when a bolt of electricity crashed into his chest.

The attack was powerful enough to take the alien hybrid down as he was zapped against a nearby school bus. His mass caused the bus to split in half from the harsh impact of it.

Wiccan called out for his boyfriend when Electro took liberty of the distraction to attack the mage. As he flew towards Hulkling, Electro shot Wiccan down from the sky with a weaker dose of his usual electric attack. The burn of the electricity was still there though as Wiccan crashed only a few feet away from his boyfriend, his body twisting from the pain. Although, it was nowhere near as intense as what Doctor Doom put him through, but it still hurt like hell.

Hawkeye shocked to see two of her teammates down, while Speed was just pissed.

"Okay this bastard is toast now!" said Speed.

Speed raced across the road to do something about Electro when the villain decided to take care of the Mutant. Electro would fire bolts of electricity after Speed, but the speedster would dodge each attack faster than what the villain could throw out. Just as Speed got up close and personal with Electro, the Mutant retreated only for a second.

Speed threw himself back a couple of feet as he held both arms up to do a little molecular acceleration. A massive explosion hit Electro, causing the villain to fly across the road until he crashed inside a nearby building where he remained for the moment.

The speedster grinned at the results as Hawkeye ran up to him with Wiccan and Hulkling not too far behind. Those two managed to heal quickly enough, which Speed was about to say was unnecessary until a new surge of electricity began to come in.

"You do know that you can't just blow Electro up, right?" asked Wiccan.

"Well it's not like the attack could've killed him anyways," said Speed. "His molecules run too fast to make the blast fatal. All I could do was stun him for a while, but it seems that I needed to hit him with a stronger blast to keep him down."

"So what's the new plan, Hawkeye?" asked Hulkling. "Electro is juicing himself up for the next round."

"We have to short his circuits out," said Hawkeye. "Hulkling, do the muscle work, but don't set yourself up for more danger than absolutely necessary. Wiccan, I'm gonna need you to drench Electro with as much water as you can. Speed, you and I are gonna have to knock him out as soon as Wiccan throws him into the pool, understood?"

Speed and the other boys nodded their heads, agreeing with what Hawkeye ordered them to do.

Lifting her bow back up just as Electro stepped out of the building a new man, Hawkeye knew it was time to move out again. "Avengers Assemble!" shouted Hawkeye.

The team temporarily broke apart to do what needed to be done.

Hulkling flew after Electro who was brimming with a new power source. The electrical surge wasn't pretty, but it was something he could handle as he used both Kree and Skrull abilities to break through.

"You really hope to hurt me, freak?" laughed Electro. "Your power is nothing compared to mine!"

"We'll see about that!" Hulkling shouted as he reached his target. He threw his fist back and used all of the force that he could muster up to hit Electro. The punch made it through and managed to actually hurt Electro, but caused a static charge that sent Hulkling sailing back towards a crowd.

Luckily, Wiccan's force field kept Hulkling from hurting himself or the civilians within it.

And speak of the mage, Wiccan spotted two fire hydrants nearby. His eyes began to glow magical blue as he popped the top off to cause water to spot up into the sky. Using magic to manipulate the water, Wiccan gathered all the water that he needed and condensed it into a thick ball before putting a magical seal over the hydrants.

"Hey Electro!" shouted Wiccan. "I think you need to take a bath!"

Wiccan spread the water apart and brought it down hard over Electro's head. There was no room for the villain to escape as the water crashed on top of him with his own electricity harming him. Electro cried out in pain as he began to short out, while falling down on his hands and knees.

There was still a lot of fight left in him, which meant that Electro needed to be subdued now or else he would recover.

Hawkeye and Speed stood side by side as they were ready to put an end to this.

"Whenever you're ready, boss," Speed said, holding his hands up.

Hawkeye lifted up her bow with two arrows pulled on the string. She carefully took aim at Electro and saw that he was easily done for. "Fire!" Hawkeye shouted to Speed as she released the arrows.

"Hell yeah!" said Speed.

As the arrows were about to touch the soaked Electro, a secondary burst of combustion struck the villain that came from Speed. A large burst of energy tore the villain a new one as he went sailing across Times Square before finally landing on top of police van. By now, the villain was completely unconscious and unable to do anything else.

But just to make sure that he was done for, Wiccan applied some magical seals on Electro so that the police could handle the rest.

With the villain subdued, the crowd began to wildly cheer for the Young Avengers as the teenage heroes gathered together. Hulkling was relatively unharmed, but he was a little dizzy thanks to the villain. The quartet quickly got out of the city though before the mayhem that was the news media could assemble before them.

* * *

Back at their headquarters, the Young Avengers were busy reviewing how that mission went, while listening to how the press was treating them.

Oddly enough, the press was actually being kind to the teenage heroes. It wasn't that long ago that the Young Avengers were called a menace for real superhero work. And here they were being praised for taking Electro down before he could devour the city's power system and hold the entire state hostage.

That still didn't help though as the team went over how the battle was handled. They all agreed that things could've gone better for them that they had gotten lucky that they were able to defeat Electro before he gained too much power.

"When we fought him last time," Billy said to his companions, "he nearly killed us. If he hadn't gotten bored fighting us after all that energy he absorbed from Nathaniel's armor, I hate to think what might have happened."

"Eli and I were already done for the count too," said Teddy. "Even Billy's spell casting could barely do a thing to him."

"So then you guys have just gotten stronger since then," said Tommy. "I mean, look at far we've all come since we first joined the team. You guys might not have been able to handle Electro with Nate and Eli, but Kate and I were able to make things work."

"We made it work this time," said Kate, "but what happens when someone stronger then Electro or Shocker or any other the other lesser villains we've been up against attack. Hell, if Electro comes back for another round then we might not be able to make it through with the same strategy."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Kate?" asked Teddy.

"I think she means that we need help," interrupted Billy. "We're nowhere near as strong as we used to be without Eli, Cassie, and the Vision fighting beside us. We need more Young Avengers to help us fight. The four of us just aren't enough."

"So are we going to turn to The Runaways now for help?" asked Tommy. "Or do you want us to track down those lunatics, the Young Masters."

"Where do we even begin without the Vision's Fail-Safe Program?" added Teddy. "How do we even begin to track down potential Young Avengers?"

"As much as I hate to say it," said Kate, "and it goes contrary to everything I said before, but we need the Vision…our Vision."

"I know who we can turn to help rebuild him too," said Billy. "We're gonna have to pay a visit to Uncle Tony's business to find a friend to help us."

Kate, Tommy, and Teddy were a little considered about this "friend" that Billy was talking about. They weren't quite sure who it was, but somehow they felt that they were going to get themselves into some trouble.

* * *

When Billy suggested that they see a friend for help, this was far from who they expected to meet. Inside a development lab within Stark Industries, the Young Avengers found themselves face to face with a familiar yet unfamiliar face.

The Vision stood before the young heroes in a frightening posture. The Vision that worked alongside the Avengers had made a home within Tony Stark's company as he worked alongside the brilliant minds within to help the Avengers. The Synthazoid looked exactly like their Vision, the Second Vision, only taller and programmed to be an actual adult.

Standing calmly before them, the Vision turned to the lab table to examine the broken remains of the younger Vision. For the Young Avengers, it was a painful sight to see since they hadn't seen their friend since he was killed by Nathaniel aka Iron Lad after he had refused to allow Nathaniel to bring Cassie back from the dead. The Young Avengers couldn't find themselves to rebuild their Vision, especially since all the backup drives that they had of him was before Cassie's death. It felt inhumane to bring the Vision back only to tell him that the young woman that he was in love with was dead.

But, right now, they needed their Vision's help. No matter how hard it would be to explain to him, they had to find a way to make this as painless as possible for their friend.

The senior Vision picked up the broken head of the younger Vision with a soft sigh escaping his body. He looked up to the teenagers, doing everything in his power to keep his eyes off of Wiccan and Speed. "I'm not certain if I can put your friend back together for you," said the Vision. "The technology that the armor was made from is far too advanced for our time. I might be able to put his mind back together, but his body is a different story."

"Isn't there something that we can do though?" asked Hawkeye. "We need our Vision. As many times as Kang invaded this century, you can't tell me that you or Tony hasn't reversed engineered his tech?"

Gently returning the head to the table, the Vision had to prepare a new explanation for them. He cursed his luck just how crafty these kids were as he found the necessary words. "Well, Hawkeye, I'm afraid it's not that simple," the Vision said, calmly. "Yes, we've been successful in creating technology that is almost comparable as that what Kang uses, but it wouldn't be appropriate to fit your Vision with it. All of the work is highly experimental, it could prove to be a potential hazard for your Vision and your own safety."

"Like Tony Stark hasn't put himself in such danger before," huffed Speed. "The guy encases himself in a suit of experimental armor every other month. Maybe you should try a new line, Vision."

Hulkling nudged his friend to be a little more polite. Speed didn't seem to care though as he continued to stand his ground, while staring at the Synthazoid.

The Vision turned away from the both of them though, mainly Speed, and soon found himself making the mistake of crossing eyes with Wiccan. Pain crippled the Vision as he found himself meeting a pair of eyes that looked exactly like Wanda's. It wrecked his nerves as he tried to pry himself away, but he found himself to paralyzed to look at what was lost long ago.

Wiccan took a few steps forward until he was at the table too with his hands laid on top. He kept eye contact with the Vision as he attempted to plead their case to him. "You have to help us rebuild our Vision, we can't do this on our own anymore," said Wiccan. "There are so few of us left now that we won't be able to fight much longer like this. You designed the Fail-Safe Program that brought us together in the first place, you can't just leave us hide and dry."

When it seemed that his words had no affect on the Vision, Wiccan knew that he was going to have to play dirty.

"You're were our father," Wiccan told him. "You might not have any biological ties to us since you're a Synthazoid, but you raised Tommy and I as if we were your own children. I know you loved us like a father loves his sons. The day I learned that Wanda was in fact our mother, I felt the memories and feelings of William Maximoff, and I know that Tommy did too. He loved you so much, you were his daddy, so please, you might hate Wanda for what she made you do to the Avengers, but please don't turn your back on us when we need you the most."

It was downright low for Wiccan to bring that up, but it seemed to have his effect.

The Vision had his eyes closed as his memories replayed to the time he first held William and Thomas. Wiccan was right, they might not have been biologically connected the same way that Wanda was to them, but they were still his children. He loved the twins and still loved them even after Mephisto had violated them, he was in just as much pain as Wanda was, but unlike her, he was far more powerless to do anything about it. He could never forgive her for turning him into a weapon that nearly killed his allies until She-Hulk destroyed him, but the pain he was familiar with. Even if he had turned Wanda away when the Avengers debated reinstating her into the team.

Knowing that he couldn't just deny the Young Avengers any longer, he surrendered to them. He turned away to activate the computer behind him. "I will do everything I can to restore your Vision to the way he was," said the Vision. "It will take some time, but I am certain that between Tony and myself that we can accomplish this task."

The Young Avengers appeared very much relieved to hear the Vision say this. They all thanked him with Wiccan taking a moment longer as he felt tears running down his face. Speed refused to admit that he had shed some tears too, even though he had convinced everyone that he had no feelings. The feelings of Thomas Maximoff had affected him just as strongly as Wiccan had implied to the Vision.

But he wasn't through with them yet, there was something else that the Young Avengers needed to be aware of. "Dark times are coming," warned the Vision. "William, the results of your search for the Scarlet Witch has served to only increase the tension between the Avengers and the X-Men. Some of us fear that these tensions will pass the boiling point until a new civil war breaks out with the Avengers standing on one side and the X-Men standing on the other. I want you all to practice being cautious and to stay away from this struggle. Focus solely on keeping the people safe, do not allow yourselves to be tied into this mess."

For a moment, the Young Avengers were completely silent as they tried to process what the Vision told them. Wiccan especially was nervous as he knew too well that he was responsible for creating a lot of trouble. Hulkling and Speed went to his defense though as Hawkeye spoke on behalf of them all. "We'll do our best," said Hawkeye. "Just bring us back our Vision and we will do as you ask."

The Vision nodded his head as he began to make the necessary preparations.

Giving the Vision the space that he needed to work, the Young Avengers made their way to the elevator to leave the building. As they descended down to the ground floor, the team wondered just what was next for them.

"We're gonna get our Vision back soon," grinned Hulkling. "So what do we do once he's back?"

"I think we should try to talk to Eli," suggested Hawkeye. "Maybe we can get him to rejoin as Patriot again."

"And if that doesn't work," said Speed, "then we could turn to some of Hank Pym's students. He might let some of the kids to become Young Avengers."

The Young Avengers arrived to the ground floor and quickly made their way out of the elevator. Stark Industries was crowded with people running to work or attempting to make some sort of arrangement with Tony Stark. Either way, the Young Avengers were done with their business here so they were going to return to headquarters to end this long ordeal.

"We'll figure out what to do when the Vision is finished working," said Wiccan. "For now, I suggest that we all get some—"

An abrupt end to his sentence caused the other Young Avengers to worry as they turned to face Wiccan. What they saw was the boy's eyes glowing bright blue as his entire began to twitch and it even appeared that he was choking on his tongue. There was immediate panic amongst them as they believed that Wiccan was having a magical stroke, but it was something far worse than that.

Wiccan's mind was pulled out of his body until he was drifting on some sort of astral plane. His mind was forced to see preordained events of a day of reckoning that he had no chance in understanding.

_In space, a giant firestorm was racing across the stars. It took some time until the fire cleared but what it was that Wiccan saw was something that looked like a giant firebird, or possibly even a phoenix. But then he saw the Earth covered in darkness with that ground consumed in fire as the ground was torn apart. What appeared next was a pair of demonic looking hands that surfaced, causing an unspeakable amount of darkness to flood the entire planet. In space again, Wiccan was forced to see this phoenix arrive to the planet just as the darkness consumed the entire world._

_The two forces collided together until everything was destroyed in an instant. What Wiccan saw next was nothing but white, utter white that signaled an end to the universe._

The vision passed with Wiccan collapsing to the ground with the other Young Avengers calling for help as the lobby of Stark Industries was full of alarm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: UGH! It's been so long since I've written fan fiction that I don't know if I'm even good at it anymore. Well, that's where you all come in. Let me know what you think by leaving me some reviews! And do feel free to recommend the story to your friends if you like it! Read and review.  
**

**Graduation Day:**

_I worried about him, but my idiot boyfriend was just too stubborn to say anything about what happened._

_Kate, Tommy, and I could only watch in horror as Billy withered on the ground, spouting incoherent words. They were words, I was certain of that, but I just couldn't tell if they came from an ancient or alien language. The only thing I did know was that the two minutes that Billy was tortured by unknown means, but I was damn certain that they were mystical though, were the longest two minutes of my life. I felt certain that my boyfriend would die and there was nothing I could do to save him._

_When Billy finally opened his eyes for real, I celebrated prematurely. We all did. Only seconds later, Billy started to cry in the middle of the lobby where a crowd had gathered to see what had happened to Wiccan. _

_Tommy and Kate were great about covering up things. They parted the crowd like the Red Sea, which allowed me to carry Billy back to his home. We tried to get Billy to talk to us about what happened, but all he would say was that something horrible would happen. _

_It's been two days and Billy has shut himself away in his room._

_Damn magick! I thought after our search for the Scarlet Witch was done, we were going to move past all of that, at least for now. I thought Billy would be safe from his magical powers, but it seems that I was wrong. What happened last year was only the beginning of something greater, I was certain of that. _

_All I could do now though was attempt to take care of Billy the best that I could, but it was difficult to do so. I was the only person he'd allow in his room, and even that was for short increments of times. Not even Jeff or Rebecca could do anything for their son. This was killing them more then it was killing me. _

_Fuck! I hated to see Billy like this; whatever it was that he saw had frightened him into a shell. I had to think outside of the box if I was going to save my boyfriend from this evil he got himself trapped in._

_Lucky for me, I knew someone who just might be able to reach out to Billy's soul; I just needed Tommy to help me track her down._

* * *

It was raining outside as she stepped onto the steps of the Kaplan Residence; she knocked on the door and waited for someone to open up. It took only a minute until a familiar face opened up. Teddy Altman smiled as soon as he saw her, which made her feel incredibly welcomed as he invited her inside his boyfriend's home.

"Thank you for coming," said Teddy. "You have no idea how worried we are about Billy. I couldn't think of anyone else to call, I'm glad that Tommy was able to reach you."

Pulling down the hood to her coat, a bundle of brown curls fell out as a creamy-faced woman looked into the eyes of the Young Avenger. A smile graced her face as she extended her hand out to touch his. "My son is in trouble," said Wanda Maximoff. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't at least attempt to help him?"

Teddy smiled at Wanda as he escorted her into the living room to meet Billy's family. Despite all the time that Billy had spent with Wanda, he had yet to introduce her to his current family. The reason as to why he hadn't, Teddy didn't know, but it was only appropriate to have Wanda introduce herself now, especially if she was going to have to use the mystic arts to help Billy.

They entered the living room together to find that Tommy and Kate were there as well, sharing a recliner together. Kate shot a grateful look to Wanda whom returned a firm nod to her just as Tommy ran across the room to hug her. It was no longer a surprise since the crusade led to Tommy opening up emotionally, at least to Wanda who had taken a more direct, motherly role in her son's life.

Now, the Kaplans stood up to meet this stranger for the first time. Jeff and Rebecca parted from their other two sons, and began a round of introductions.

The two of them looked as professional as ever, Jeff and Rebecca finally met the woman whom held a deep connection to their eldest son and Tommy. "I am Jeff Kaplan and this is my wife, Rebecca," said Billy's father. Wanda extended her hand to him, shaking it gently before moving onto Rebecca's hand. As this occurred, Jeff turned back to his sons that kept their distance from the Avenger. "Those are our youngest boys, Andrew and Cole."

Wanda waved to the boys who looked to be about eleven and twelve years old. "It is a pleasure to meet you all," she said, softly. "I am Wanda Maximoff; you might know me better as the Scarlet Witch."

"So you're Billy's real mother then?" Rebecca said, restraining her voice from sounding rude to her guest.

It looked like the moment that they were all waiting for would occur. Teddy, Kate, and Tommy appeared frightened as this showdown was about to happen. Things could turn very ugly, very fast if Wanda didn't tread carefully.

But the daughter of Magneto was no fool; she knew how to avoid stepping on toes. She shook her head at Rebecca as she attempted to reassure the woman's position in Billy's life. "Not biologically anymore. My sons, William and Thomas, were barely children when they were taken from me and their souls were devoured by the demon, Mephisto," explained Wanda. "I was able to save and purify their souls with my powers as I attempted to resurrect them, but that failed. William and Thomas's souls were sent through time and reincarnated into new families. Billy Kaplan is biologically your son, but his soul, his past life, William Maximoff, recognizes me as his mother. The same is true with Tommy, the magic I used to bring them back still tethers them to me, but they're current lives tie them to you." Wanda let out a deep breath as she found it difficult to piece that together herself. Magic and time travel was some of the most difficult things to explain, but they were worth attempting. "I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all though, forgive me. There are many complications when it comes to explaining the functions of magic."

"I think I understand," said Jeff. "Billy is still our son, but he remembers that in his past life that you were his mother."

"That puts things in a simpler way," said Wanda.

"There are reports of people being able to remember their past lives," said Rebecca, "but since Billy has magical powers, he remembers far more than the average person."

Teddy, Kate, and Tommy all exhaled in relief to see that Wanda was able to handle the situation well. They felt that potential confrontation with the Kaplans and Wanda ease out of mind now that they were able to move on to the more pressing situation.

In fact, it was one of Billy's brothers who got the ball moving.

Cole, whom looked exactly like his father but younger, stepped away from his brother Andrew, whom looked like his mother, so he could face Wanda for himself. "Can you help my big brother?" asked the eleven year old boy. "Can you use your powers to make him better?"

Wanda smiled as she knelt down to the boy, brushing her hand to push his brown hair back. "I will certainly try my hardest," she said to him. Seeing that Cole responded well to that, Wanda got back on her feet to turn to Teddy next. "I'll need to know everything that you know though. Tommy told me everything that he could, but I need to know if there is anything else that any of you might know, anything specific at all that I could use to piece this mess together."

Agreeing to this, Teddy gave Wanda all the information that he had. Kate threw in her two cents as well when Wanda asked for her statement. Now that Wanda heard the story from the three of them, she saw that they were perfectly matching.

Billy's episode occurred after their meeting with her former husband, the Vision. They also said that Billy was completely well, even after an emotional encounter, when he suddenly had the episode in the lobby. The only thing different was Teddy claiming that Billy was speaking in some sort of tongue, which gave Wanda a potential theory.

"He must've had a vision of some sort," said Wanda. "It is not unheard of for those who are part of the mystical arts to receive premonitions. I've had my fair share." Removing her long coat, Wanda handed it over to Jeff who placed it in their coat closet so that she could continue to speak. She now paced around the living room, wearing a stylish looking maroon dress. "Visions can be dangerous to the recipients. There are plenty of cases where the individual will enter a coma or potentially be killed. In Billy's case, what he saw as left in a state of terror. Fortunately, this fear hasn't caused him to lose control of his powers, which means that it'll be safe to approach him."

Surprising everyone in the room, it was Tommy who directly responded to Wanda's words. "Then go help him!" Tommy said, jumping from his seat next to Kate. Now, it wasn't too surprising to see Tommy coming to Billy's rescue. After everything that happened, Tommy and Billy had gotten closer, nearly reclaiming that brotherly relationship that they once held in their past lives. Still, to see Tommy display such emotion was almost astonishing.

For Wanda, she found it heart-warming to see the love between her sons. She agreed that she needed to go see him now in order to help him.

Tommy and Teddy led Wanda up the stairs to Billy's bedroom. Wanda wasn't surprised to see the typical, teenage boy signs on the door, nor was she surprised to see how the room was decorated when she magicked the door open since Billy had it locked. Even with superpowers and being gay, Billy was still just a teenage boy. It was a bit of mess with posters of his favorite superheroes and musicians on the walls, and lots of other junk that she had no idea what it was.

However, seeing Billy cowering in a corner of his bedroom with only a t-shirt and a pair of shorts on, his eyes covered in dark circles and glazed over in fear, while he nervously bit his nails was frightening to her.

"Billy," Wanda whispered, softly, as she closed the door behind her. "It's me, it's Wanda. I'm here to help you."

Picking his head up for the first time, Billy tensed up to see that it was in fact his mother in the room. He practically launched himself at Wanda as he turned into a ball of tears, murmuring nonsense that not even Wanda could translate.

So for the first couple of minutes, Wanda spent that time attempting to calm Billy down. She waited until he eased up enough for her to properly speak to him.

It was a moment that she had hoped for in her dreams, but this wasn't exactly how she wanted it. She always dreamt of being there for her sons, no matter what had happened. She wanted to be there for them during the good times, the bad, and the ugly. Even when they were just little boys, Wanda knew that Billy was the sensitive one; she knew that she was going to have to protect that one more then Tommy.

Wanda figured that one day she would have to comfort Billy because of his powers. She knew that could potentially develop mutant powers, his current life proved that she was in fact right. And now learning that he was gay, it only made Wanda more certain that she would have to be there for Billy.

"Tell me what happened, Billy," said Wanda. "Your friends explained it to me, but I want to know what exactly happened from you." She used her best warm, maternal voice in order to reach out to Billy. She needed to establish that connection to him if she was going to be successful in helping him. "Can you tell me?"

Billy shook his head at first as he continued to hold onto Wanda. Tears continued to streak down his face until he finally started to choke on his tears as he attempted to speak again. "It was…it was so terrifying," cried Billy. "I…I…felt it…coming. There was so much…so much pain…and darkness."

Wanda listened carefully, waiting for Billy to continue but he didn't. She understood that Billy wouldn't be able to speak further so she was going to have to attempt something else. She was going to have to use magic in order to fix his troubled mind.

"If you can't tell me what you saw, Billy," said Wanda, "will you show me?" The young mage seemed surprised by this as he looked Wanda in the eyes. She started by making it so that Billy would hold his hands, palms up. Then she placed her hands on top of his so that their palms touched, but waited before going any further. "I will use my magic to reach into your mind. I will see what you saw for my own eyes, but you won't see a thing. I'll just see it from your memories. Is that alright with you, Billy?"

Nodding his head, Billy closed his eyes as he allowed Wanda's magic to flow into him.

When the magic reached into his mind, Wanda steeled herself for the impact. She knew that the vision was coming as she felt Billy's heart beating like a hammer. Then it came, she entered his memories and was allowed to see what Billy saw that day.

The vision lasted only a moment, but Wanda felt like it had lasted an eternity. Without even realizing it, she felt herself crying from what she saw. She looked into Billy's eyes that looked frightened still, but hopeful that she might know what it meant.

And she did, at least, somewhat.

"The Phoenix Force," whispered Wanda, "it's returning to Earth."

"What's the Phoenix Force?" asked Billy.

"A force of Creation," Wanda answered, simply. "It is a power of life and death, a being of pure psionic energy that was born from Creation, itself. The Phoenix Force has come to the Earth multiple times, and even bonded with the former X-Men, Jean Gray, before causing her to sacrifice her own existence to repel the entity."

"So the Phoenix is evil?"

"The Phoenix is just power," said Wanda. "But the Phoenix isn't what bothers me. What I'm more concerned about is the being you saw rising from the ground. I'm certain that it's a demonic being, which might be responsible for provoking the Phoenix Force's arrival. I'm afraid I can't say anything else as I do not have any more answers. All I do know is that in the hierarchy of evil, there are numerous demonic lords of unspeakable wrath and power that can only be restored through supernatural means."

Billy nodded his head, feeling a little relieved know that Wanda knew and told him what she understood. He felt his crying finally stopping as he straightened himself up to look at her.

Oddly enough, he felt better now that Wanda was here.

"Do you think this thing is dangerous?" asked Billy.

"From my experience," said Wanda, "demons are very dangerous. And since you're the one who had this vision, I'm afraid that you are somehow connected to this being. You and the other Young Avengers will have to face this on your own, neither I nor the Avengers can help you."

Billy didn't feel surprised to hear that the Avengers couldn't help, especially since the Vision pretty much said that the Avengers were going to war with the X-Men. No, what freaked him out was that Wanda was "implying" that she would abandon him. "Why can't you help?" asked Billy. "What if I need your help?"

Wanda reached out, touching her son on the cheek as she tried to reassure his fears. She did not mean to scare him, but there were complications that needed to be attended to. "I feel that this is your rite of passage," said Wanda. "I don't know how to explain it, but I feel that this is a journey that you must go through alone." Wanda released her son from her touch as she stood up from the bed with Billy following her lead. She could tell that Billy was going to ask another question when she stopped him before he had a chance to speak. "You won't have to face all of this, however. I will attend to the Phoenix; I feel that the Phoenix is of greater importance for me to find a solution to deal with. However, if you find any information about the Phoenix or this demon from your vision, I would like you to notify Doctor Strange about it. He's the only other being that will know how to guide you."

"Alright," Billy said, reaching out to hug his mother. "Please, be careful. I don't want to lose you again."

Wanda returned the hug, holding him with equal force. Oh, how she prayed that she could make that promise come true. There was nothing more than Wanda wanted them to stay with her sons, but the Phoenix was too important to simply ignore.

Now that he was in better condition, Wanda helped Billy downstairs so he could see his friends and family before Wanda had to say her goodbyes for a longtime.

* * *

Running a comb through his head, Tommy felt that he needed to look highly presentable for Kate's big day. He felt rather confident about himself as he dropped the comb on the sink and fixed the rest of it with his hands to give it the stylish but messy look. Now that he felt that he could be seen in public, he rushed out of the bathroom to finished getting dressed when he took notice to an intruder in his chaotically, messy bedroom.

Well, it wasn't so much an intruder but his twin brother who was finally done freaking out over the vision he had. Not that the vision was something to bat their eyelashes about. Wanda had explained to him and the rest of the Young Avengers that Billy had a premonition about the Phoenix Force returning to Earth around the same time that a demonic force would rise as well. It became clear that the Young Avengers had a new mission, and that was to derail this mysterious being from Billy's vision, while Wanda contended with the Phoenix Force.

That wasn't exactly something Tommy was thrilled to hear as he watched his mother leave. His heart ached as he worried for her safety since he knew just how the Phoenix was tied to the Avengers and the X-Men, which could only spell disaster for Wanda since she wasn't exactly on the best of terms with either team. If she got herself in too deep, he wasn't sure if there was anything that her sons could do to protect her.

So Tommy did what he always in these situations, he repressed his feelings and moved on.

Tommy barely acknowledged Billy as he ran to his dressed to retrieve his underwear before he finished getting dressed. It was lucky for the both of them that he had a towel on.

"You're taking off to Kate's graduation?" Billy asked, while sitting on Tommy's bed.

Fishing out his outfit from the closet, Tommy turned around for a second to nod his head at him. "That's right," Tommy said, calmly. He grabbed the pants first and quickly put those on before reaching out for a blue, long-sleeved shirt. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're gonna go to your boyfriend's graduation instead." He began to button himself up before grabbing the sport's coat that he was going to wear over his rather stylish, New York boy outfit that Kate had gotten for him.

Now why would Kate Bishop by Tommy Shepherd an exquisite, expensive suit? Well, the rich girl did so because she did value appearances, to a small extent, at least to where she'd like it if her on-the-down-low-boyfriend looked presentable for when they went out on the town. That's right. Kate and Tommy was an item, they had been officially dating for about six months now, but they kept the nature of their relationship a secret from Teddy and Billy. Especially after the kiss that happened while Kate was, technically, still with Eli.

It was just less drama that way.

And Tommy liked to have as little drama in his life as possible. He was, after all, the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch. He didn't even need to go into detail about just how Billy and his existence came to be since it was a long, complicated explanation to give.

"Shouldn't you be in Teddy's bedroom, giving him a congratulatory blowjob right about now?" asked Tommy.

Billy groaned at his brother as he levitated one of the pillows to hit the speedster in the head. Tommy retrieved the pillow and threw it back at Billy before dodging a bunch of pillows that were magically flying after him.

"You're such a weirdo!" Billy shouted, jumping to his feet. "I try to be a nice brother, but you always have to say stupid things like that."

"And that's how much I love you," Tommy laughed, while blowing his twin a kiss. "Now, get out of my room so I can finish getting ready. Besides, you still look really frumpy for a gay kid. I figured you'd want to look super sexy for your boyfriend's big day."

"Says the guy who is super dressed up for Kate's graduation," Billy said as he started to leave. "If I didn't know any better then I'd say you and Kate were together."

"Love you too, little brother," Tommy said, while maintaining a straight face. Waiting until his wizard of a brother was out of the room, Tommy couldn't help but to burst in laughter. If only Billy had realized that he had hit the nail on the hammer with that one.

Tommy dismissed all the thoughts on his brother though as he finished putting himself together.

* * *

It was no lie when Kate warned her companions that her sister was going all out in celebrating her younger sister's graduation. After the ceremonies finished, Kate had her support system with her in order to deal with her sister's insanity since she had rented out an entire club for a private party. Which wasn't exactly an easy task to accomplish especially since the club was one of the more profitable ones in Manhattan.

But depending on who you asked, the Bishops were richer than all the gods in the sky. That was something that Kate tried to dispel as she donated so much of her free time and money into charity work. It was something that her mother also did before passing away when she was still just a little girl.

Back to the party though, which was fully underway at this point.

Teddy and Billy were already there, waiting on the rest of the team to show up for some fun. Teddy's graduation ended sooner than Kate's did even though he had a much larger graduating class. Then again, Teddy didn't have as many important, guest speakers there at the ceremony, which meant that more time could be spent trying to hand out the diplomas.

Billy was still thrilled when he saw Teddy receive his diploma. He screamed at the top of his lungs, while Billy's family also celebrated for him as well. Everyone in the Kaplan family loved Teddy, which meant that when the boys were ready to properly announce their engagement then it would be accepted. At least that would be the ideal situation since Billy's parents practically treated Teddy like one of the family already.

Then again, they kind of needed to figure out how this engagement thing would work. Most people would figure that within the year that they'd piece together just where they stood on Teddy's impromptu engagement. Teddy and Billy hadn't really talked about it after Ms. Marvel interrupted them that night. Even now, there was no engagement ring involved, which really made it confusing to Billy as he wondered if his boyfriend was serious and Teddy was just nervous about bringing it up against since his boyfriend almost thought it was a joke.

However, that would be a problem for another day as the Young Avengers were determined to celebrate tonight for what it was.

Kate and Tommy finally made it after that long ceremony. They managed to escape from her sister as well once her husband pulled her away to dance. Kate never felt so grateful to her brother-in-law until that moment.

"Cheers!" Tommy said, handing everyone some drinks he stole from the bar.

"You do know that there is not alcohol in this, right?" Teddy asked the speedster.

"Don't ruin the fun!" cried Tommy.

"Oh lord," said Billy, "you spiked our drinks, didn't you?"

"I was watching him," Kate said, sitting beside Billy. "He didn't do anything to them."

"Kate, sweetie," said Billy, "my brother is superfast. He could've drugged all of us faster then we can blink."

At that note, Teddy, Kate, and Billy put their drinks down, while Tommy slammed his down. He attempted to convince his friends that he wasn't as big as a creep or a jerk that they liked to think that he was.

With Kate, that was easier to do then with his brother and his brother's boyfriend. All he had to do was take Kate out to the dance floor so that they could do some celebratory dancing in the dark club.

As for Teddy and Billy, well, they might be gay nerds, but they were still pretty gay. Billy started to grin at his boyfriend when Teddy finally took the hint. Teddy grabbed Billy's hand as he let his boyfriend lead him towards a spot where they could dance together.

Three hours flew by as the teens alternated between dancing and relaxing at the longue space that they had claimed as their own.

It was during one of the alternations that they were greeted by one of the servers at the party. Kate and Billy both looked stunned as they took one good look at the waiter that had been hired for the occasion. He was rather gorgeous as he worked topless and with low-rise pants. He was solidly built with broad shoulders, well-defined muscles, masculine facial features, deep brown eyes, and perfectly-straight black hair that touched his shoulders. It was clear to all of them that this young man had to have some Native American ancestry in his blood. Those features were too strong to have him to claim any other ethnicity.

He had a grin on his face as he knelt over to place a round of beverages from the bar down on the table for the four of them. He especially took notice at how Kate and Billy were staring at him, while Tommy and Teddy looked equally annoyed by this. "These are courtesy of your sister, Ms. Bishop," the server said, speaking above the loud music. He straightened himself up so to continue speaking with the young heroes. "Is there anything else that I might get for you or your friends before my shift ends?"

"No," Kate said, coughing from her words. She recomposed herself, while Tommy set his sights on his DL-girlfriend who was making goo-goo eyes at the server. She brushed aside all means of an attraction towards this young man, at least for the moment so that she could adjust her own professional attitude. "No, that's everything. Thank you."

The young man smiled as he turned away from them, leaving them to get his belongings now that his shift was officially over.

Even with the young man out of sight by now, Billy still had his jaw hanging a little bit. It didn't go unnoticed by his boyfriend who didn't look exactly thrilled as he flicked a bit of his drink at Billy's face.

"Could you make it any more obvious that you were staring?" Teddy said, clearly sounding hurt.

Billy shook his head now that he had returned to reality. And now he felt like a total ass as he quickly knew that he had a lot of apologizing to do to Teddy. "I'm sorry, Ted," said Billy. "I didn't mean to…you know that you're the only guy for me!" He tried to reassure Teddy of this as he attempted to get closer to his boyfriend on the crowded seat that they were sitting on.

Teddy didn't seem to cave in, at first. He ended up grabbing Billy's face though as he pulled their lips closer together. "You're lucky that I love you so much," Teddy whispered against his lips. "Besides, I guess I have to admit that the guy was pretty hot too."

Laughing, the both of them briefly kissed, while Tommy gave Kate the silent treatment for the moment. But Kate had a trick up her sleeve that would throw the speedster off his track.

"You are aware that I saw you looking at Boobzilla earlier, right?" said Kate.

Tommy's eyes lit up as he had imagined that Kate didn't catch that. He should've known better then to assume that since they were so close together on the dance floor. Yeah, so Tommy quickly dispelled his tension against Kate as he pretended like nothing happened at all.

The celebrations resumed for a while, until Billy caught sight of the server leaving the club.

He had a leather jacket on now, covering his smooth, bronzed chest. The young man moved through the crowd without any difficulty at all as he snuck out of there without anyone else noticing him, at first.

But then something else caught Billy's attention. He took notice of four other guys in the club, none of which Kate claimed to have known. She assumed them to be party crashers, which was a safe assumption to make since they did look the part.

Out of place and dressed like little thugs, Billy would've ignored them had they not looked at the off-duty server with such scorn. That did not bode well at all to the young mage as he saw the four men leave not too long after him.

"That spells trouble," Tommy said, leaning next to Billy.

"You saw that?" said Billy.

Tommy nodded his head as he turned to grab his coat. Billy got up as well with Teddy and Kate looking confused for a moment until the twins filled them in. By then, they were all running out the door since this situation really smelled bad to them.

* * *

Tommy and Billy were the first ones out the door with Kate and Teddy not that far behind them. It took everything that the twins had not to burst out of there once they sensed that something was seriously wrong.

The quartet followed the trail that those guys left behind while they followed the unsuspecting server. Tommy was certain that this was going to end badly if they didn't hurry their butts up, but Kate urged him to stand down. They had to be certain that this guy really was in any danger before they went all Avengers.

"You've got to be kidding me with this," Tommy said, groaning in frustration. "This is New York City! We're not exactly a crime free city, there are just a shit load of superheroes running around, up until now."

Billy nodded his head as he increased the group's pace once they had lost sight of the strange men. Even his nerves were getting a little agitated as he felt a sense of urgency overwhelm his senses. "I have to agree with Tommy," Billy said to the rest of them. "I haven't heard anything from Cap or the other Avengers since we last saw mom. I think this war that she and Vision mentioned with the X-Men is beginning."

Feeling the need to play Devil's advocate, Teddy turned back to face Kate as Tommy and Billy were itching to burst into a run. "If that's true," said Teddy, "then that means we're responsible for keeping the city and everyone in it as safe as possible."

Knowing damn well that he was right, it still caused Kate to bite down on her bottom lip. She had no other choice but to agree with her team as they started to really move their gears to follow the guy.

It only got worse when they heard screaming that sounded like a man's voice. Tommy, Teddy, and Billy paused for a second, but it was Kate who broke through the line as she ran towards an alleyway with her heels clinking against the concrete.

"Suit up!" shouted Kate.

Billy cast his spell, quickly causing him and his friends to change into their uniforms.

The Young Avengers charged down the alleyway to rush to this guy's aid only to find their information to be very misleading. They did see the guy from the club and the four other guys that had followed him out, but he wasn't the one who was in trouble.

Caught completely by surprised, the Young Avengers saw that the guy that they were going to rescue was busy rescuing himself.

He had one of the guys trapped in a chokehold, another was clenching his head as he laid on the ground, and the other two attempted to rush after him. A grin formed on his face as he knocked his attacker down to the ground before leaning his body back then sliding away from the incoming rush.

Using the momentum from the slide, he easily pushed himself back on his feet to get ready for the next attack. By now, he was aware of the Young Avengers' presence, but they weren't his top concern for the moment. What he had his sights on was to disarm the gang bangers in the most painful way possible.

The first one tried to swing his fist at him, but the young man easily dodged the attack again. He rotated his body in a twisted way that no ordinary person could do without a remarkable amount of training. He drove his elbow down on the guy's neck, causing him to completely collapse to his hands and knees.

With another one of them down, the young man set his eyes on his other attacker. This time he took the offensive as he drove his fists against the attacker's face. He repeatedly hit the guy about three times with each fist before spinning around to drive the back of his fist against the thug's face.

He dropped down like a brick only for the guy he attacked earlier to get back on his feet.

This time, the young man focused on the Young Avengers. He moved towards them, specifically picking on Wiccan as he grabbed the teen's red cloak. "I'm gonna need to borrow this," the young man said in a calm and collected voice that was mixed with rugged masculinity, which was different from how he sounded in the club.

The young man tore Wiccan's cloak off before returning to the fight. He twisted the cloak around then smacked his attacker across the face around it. It stunned his attacker when he used such a juvenile, locker room move, but it didn't end there. The young man tangled his attacker around the torso and arms with it and drove the full force of his right foot to crash into his lungs.

He went down just as easily as the others, which wasn't exactly a challenge to him. He could only dust off the grime he got on his leather coat before getting down to untangle the red cloak from one of his attacker. He tried to get some of the dirt off before he returned it to Wiccan.

"Sorry about that," said the young man. "Thanks for the help though." Instead of being calm and cool, his voice was very sarcastic and almost arrogant. He brushed his hand through his black hair as he passed by the astonished superheroes. "I don't know what I would've done without the Young Avengers coming to my rescue."

In a matter of seconds, he was out of the alley with the team still stunned by what they had just seen.

"I feel," said Speed, "very…I don't know how to describe this."

Wiccan held up his grimy cloak so that the others could see it. "I kind of feel naked now," he said, looking down at the black and blue spandex. He then turned to Hulkling who was grinning from ear to ear by that statement.

Hawkeye scratched her head as she tried to figure out what was up with that guy. She was certain this wouldn't be the last time that they saw him.

And considering how much damage he did to those thugs, one could only hope that they wouldn't meet again as enemies.

* * *

Disappearing onto the road, the young man approached a parked motorcycle by the club that he had met the Young Avengers. He adjusted his helmet for a second before kicking down on the throttle before storming down the street. The onlookers from the club began to cheer as he sped off into the city, leaving behind a cloud of dirt in his wake.

He ignored all of that as he pushed down on a button near the ignition. It immediately caused the communication device attached to his helmet to activate as it patched him to the network.

"Agent Landon Samuels," said the young man, "reporting to headquarters. Security Clearance, Level 9, password 'the eagle waits for sunrise'."

Only a second place before the network responded to his access codes. "S.H.I.E.L.D. Network recognizes Agent Landon Samuels," responded a computerized voice. "What assistance does the Agent need?"

"I need to immediately be patched to the Director," said Landon as he swerved through traffic.

"Clearance granted," said the computerized voice.

There was a dial that signaled to the Agent that he was being patched through. He made it through more cars as he followed the path to his next destination.

It took only a moment longer before his call was finally answered. "Director Johnson," said a woman's voice. "What do you have to report, Agent Samuels?"

"I have come into connect with the Young Avengers, Director," said Landon. "I found them as civilians before confirming their identity after I lured a group of thugs to attack me. You'll be happy to know that my training allowed me to take them down in thirty-point-two seconds."

"And here we granted you Level 9 clearance, Agent," said the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. "You've still got a long way to go before you can become Level 10 like your mentor."

Landon flinched as he heard just the mere mention of his mentor. There were hardly any Agents in all of S.H.I.E.L.D. that compared to her. He turned the motorcycle down another road before making it to where he needed to be. "I understand, Director," said the young Agent. "Do you want me to make direct contact with the Young Avengers or do you wish for me to continue monitoring them?"

There was a pause on the line, but Landon didn't have to wait too long. "I want you to continue monitoring the Young Avengers for the time being," said Director Johnson. "I wish to trust in Captain America's judgment in making them full-fledged Avengers. You know as well as I do though that the Young Avengers can be potentially dangerous, especially since they've proven themselves to be capable enough to fight Doctor Doom."

"Understood," said Landon. "I will continue to watch the Young Avengers until further orders. Agent Samuels, over and out."

The line ended at that point as Landon removed his helmet from his head. He zipped up his jacket though as he turned back to retrieve something from the storage container attached to the back of the motorcycle. He grabbed what he needed before turning to the building in front of him.

Standing before him was the headquarters of the Young Avengers, which he planned on bugging for further surveillance.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent needed to make certain that the Young Avengers wouldn't be declared a potential threat. He was certain that the Director would grant them amnesty, especially after all that the young team had accomplished in the past two years. But he still lacked enough pull to convince her of such things, he had sway with the former Director, but Nick Fury was retired from the spy game.

So the spy had everything he would need as he infiltrated the building, unaware that he was being watched by someone from a third party.

* * *

On a nearby rooftop, six figures watched Landon as he entered the Young Avengers' headquarters. It was amusing to them at how easy it was for him to break in without being dedicated by some of the most sensitive security systems in the world.

But what else was there to expect from an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Static filled the air as small crackles of electricity danced over the tips of her fingers. "It seems that Nick Fury's replacement is equally enthralled by the Young Avengers as we are," said a woman.

The ground would shake from his presence if he so willed it to, but he stayed in control of himself. "Yes," said a young man, "but is this really something that we should care about? Those kids can't stop us even if they knew who we were."

A light breeze started to kick in a young woman started to sway about. "Or what we are planning for the world?" laughed a carefree woman.

As calm as the sea, but just as unforgiving, he stayed near his earthy companion out of comfort. "It would be foolish not to take them seriously," said the calm, young man.

Their clever con-artist kept to the shadows as he lifted his head up to feel the moonlight. "Our friend is right," said a slightly, older male. "The Young Avengers house a potential threat to our plans. They must be dealt with accordingly."

Lastly, his mysterious presence made itself known as he focused on what the agent was attempting to accomplish just then. He tilted his head slightly to see, a thousand thoughts filling his mind as he simply watched. "I suppose trust is a hard thing for the heroes to keep," said the eldest male. "After a Civil War and a Secret Invasion, the glue that once kept them all together has finally begun to erode. It would be so laughable if it weren't so sad."

He turned around to see the five members of his group.

There was a tall, beautiful woman with an affinity for electricity that he thus named Volt. Their schemer was a man of great talent and promise that he coveted whom he named Deception. And then there were the Elemental Trio whom he felt would be immensely useful to him. A young man who could bend the earth to his will that he named Terra, the sister of the earth whom was so light on her feet that she was wind incarnated he named her Ventus, and the scarred youth who always kept his calm for his temper could create a tidal wave thus he was named Aqua.

And he was the leader of all of them, the master of the group, Supernova.

"It is time for The Organization to move along the gears of destruction," continued Supernova. "Our time to free our Master from his confinement is nearly upon. There is no time more perfect then now as the Phoenix Force approaches the planet. The Ascension is nearly upon us." He smiled as he saw the other five members of the group circle around him. He felt their powers, the talents that they offered to him and to their true master. "Remember my brothers and sisters, if we do as The Master demands of us then he shall reward us greatly."

"Remain loyal," urged Supernova, "and we shall all receive what we crave in the new world. Our sacrifices, our suffering will not be in vain."

The members of The Organization swore allegiance before Supernova as they were teleported to their own base. All of them were gone with the exception of Supernova who lingered behind for a while longer. He stayed behind long enough to witness the agent leaving the Young Avengers' Headquarters before the Young Avengers themselves arrived to their own base.

Oblivious that they were all being watched and yanked along a string, Supernova thought it was simply poetic as he too vanished to further their agenda.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Glad to see that I'm picking up some support for the story. But just so you all know, reviews are very much appreciated! Don't think because I've been out of the fanfic game for almost a year doesn't mean I don't remember that! So leave some reviews and tell your friends! Trying to get a little more steam going for the fic. Hope you enjoy.  
**

**Trouble:**

_I opened my eyes, feeling as if I had been asleep for ages. My mind began to run as my awareness began to reach out to reality. I heard many things, but my surroundings were unfamiliar to me. _

_I couldn't picture anything that revitalized any previous memories. But I found it difficult as well to recollect any previous memories that I had prior to this moment._

_This is rather disturbing, I don't like it. I don't like this feeling of uncertainty of what had happened to me to bring me to this point in time. _

_At least I wouldn't have to wait long before something else happened to me._

_I noticed that I was on what appeared to be an operating table. I was able to move my limbs and began to make the journey off the table when I saw someone standing before me, preventing me from leaving. _

_Much to my surprise, who I saw looked as I did. The only difference was that his body didn't have the same gleam as my armored form did and he was exceptionally taller then I was, more like an adult. But we still were of the same green, yellow, and red with our faces appearing rather similar almost in the way of a parent and their child._

"_You are awake," said the Vision I. "I am surprised that I was able to restore you back to function. I feared that you were too far damaged for even me to repair. Your friends will be very pleased to see you."_

_My friends? Yes, my friends. I could see them now: Eli, Kate, Teddy, Billy, Tommy, and Cassie. _

_But what had happened to me to bring me to my predecessor for repair? Did something go wrong on the field that left me damaged?_

_He stopped me though as he placed his gloved hand over mine. With this simple gesture, it appeared that he sensed the thoughts that I had running through my head. _

"_They are waiting for you," he said, softly. "Go to your friends. They need you."_

_I simply nodded my head as I got off the table, thanking him for helping me. I ran out of this lab, prepared to return to the field as The Vision II._

* * *

Once again, New York found itself locked in chaos as it was under attack. But there wasn't as much panic as there normally was due to the fact that it was the Wrecking Crew. It was all part of a repeated cycle that everyone was prepared to deal with. The Wrecking Crew would break out jail, make a mess of things, and then get locked away again.

Thunderball swung his mighty wrecking ball to tear down a building. Piledriver smashed his thick fists against a car, punching it towards another car. Bulldozer charged through a bus, completely splitting the vehicle in half. As for Wrecker, he stood in the middle of all this as he waited for some heroes to show up.

The cycle was about to repeat itself as an arrow struck him in the chest, creating a small explosion. Wrecker didn't even bat an eyelash as he patted down the smoke before looking up to see Wiccan flying after him. The young mage hurled a blast of mystical energy after Wrecker, which provoked Wrecker to use his enchanted crowbar to withstand the attack.

"I got a score to settle with you, Harry Potter!" growled Wrecker. "You humiliated us on Asgard. Now, I'm gonna break everyone bone in your body!"

Wiccan flew back, avoiding an incoming bolt of fire from Wrecker. "Don't you ever get tired of getting your ass kicked, Wrecker?" asked the mage. "Like you said, Harry Potter humiliated you." His eyes began to illuminate their magical blue as he began to cast a spell. "What do you think he's going to do to you now that his magic has only gotten stronger?"

Wrecker pushed Wiccan away from him by hurling a blast of energy from his crowbar. Wiccan projected a shield around himself for protection as he continued to remain airborne. The teen understood well enough that on the ground that Wrecker would have the advantage. And he had to remember that the only reason he was able to beat the Wrecking Crew the last time was submersing himself into deep magic, which triggered him to lose control of his powers. Wiccan couldn't afford that to happen as he hurled a chain of lightning after Wrecker.

Hulkling intercepted Bulldozer as the villain nearly crashed into a crowd of civilians. The alien hybrid knocked Bulldozer off his balance before even attempting to go for a direct hit. Bulldozer took the full force of the alien's punch against his chest, which left him hissing after the teenager.

Bulldozer tore the ground apart as he grabbed onto the road with his bare hands. "You're not going to get the best of me that easily, boy!" spat Bulldozer. "I'm going to really enjoy seeing just how much abuse a Kree can take before he begs for mercy."

A flashback of the civil war hit Hulkling as he landed on the ground with his wings retracting. He could remember those horrible experiments that Warden put him through. Hulkling's blood boiled over as he found himself glaring a Bulldozer. "You won't even get the chance to touch me," growled the alien teenager. "You won't hurt anyone else!"

Running on pure instinct, Hulkling charged after Bulldozer at full force. Bulldozer laughed as he rushed towards Hulkling with the two of them colliding in a massive display of their superhuman might. Keeping true to his words, Hulkling used every muscle that he had to avoid getting hit by Bulldozer's wild attacks, but managed to make everyone of his attacks stick.

With one last uppercut, Hulkling really had Bulldozer running for his money.

Thunderball swung his wrecking ball after Speed who simply dodged every hit. The speedster was able to respond to every move that Thunderball made. In the second that Thunderball tossed the wrecking ball, Speed already anticipated just where the attack was coming from. Speed would continue this dance until he got closer towards Thunderball before attempting to disarm him by triggering an explosion right in front of the villain by manipulating the molecules in the air to combust.

Speed could only chuckle as he stopped running for the moment. "How you doin, Thunderball?" asked the speedster. "Do you need to call a timeout?" It was pretty impressive just how he was able to pull that trick off. He couldn't believe just how much his secondary power had grown in the past year. Come to think of it, he's been able to tamper with molecular acceleration differently since the whole LifeForce/Doctor Doom thing. It made him wonder, but thinking about science was a little dangerous right now.

Especially since Thunderball recovered his ground and started swinging the wrecking ball again. This time, Speed had to jump into the air to avoid getting hit before sprinting off again in every direction possible.

"I'm gonna squash you like a bug, little boy!" shouted Thunderball. "Just stay still like a good little brat. I'll get you, I'll get you good!"

Thunderball smashed the ground with his wrecking ball, narrowly missing hitting Speed.

Hawkeye jumped over Piledriver just as the villain attempted to smash her into the ground. Her agility was superior to the brute force of the villain, which would come to her advantage. Piledriver attempted to hit her with his abnormally, large fists, but Hawkeye snuck away from him and took the distance to her advantage as she pulled out a freezing arrow. With his back turned, Hawkeye released her arrow to strike him, triggering the freezing agent to take effect.

However, it wouldn't be over that quickly. Piledriver broke free by embracing the mystical powers that enchanted his body. The ice shattered apart in an instant, which only left behind an angry villain that had his eyes set on Hawkeye now.

"Bye bye, Birdie!" said Piledriver. "You're about to become extinct."

Hawkeye took out an explosive arrow, bracing herself for the worst. She could clearly see Piledriver coming straight towards her as she took aim and waited for the perfect moment to strike. "Speak for yourself, buddy," said Hawkeye. "I think you're going to end up sitting in a jail cell any minute now."

Once Piledriver was in the perfect spot, Hawkeye released her arrow and quickly avoided the incoming charge. The arrow exploded against Piledriver, hurling him back at full force as physics showed him no mercy. He ended up crashing through an empty, store window as a result of the explosion, which caused Hawkeye to chuckle a little.

She would attempt to rejoin her companions when she would notice Piledriver getting back on his feet. That was soon followed with a bolt of lightning crashing down to the ground, startling her as she noticed that Wrecker had taken Wiccan down. The mage was thrown not too far from where she was, but it was evident that he wasn't going to be much help for a while.

Thunderball and Bulldozer also had Speed and Hulkling on the run too. Hawkeye would soon be forced into retreating beside her teammates as they attempted to come up with a solution to this mess.

Speed avoided Thunderball's wrecking ball as it nearly smashed his foot. He bumped shoulders with Wiccan who was finally back on his feet. "I don't suppose you could magic them into a coma?" asked Speed.

"Let's not even joke about that," said Wiccan. "I don't want a repeat of last time."

"Fair enough," said Speed.

Wrecker got his team to join him as they each touched the enchanted crowbar. The Asgardian magic that had granted them their powers in the first place began to respond to their touch. The Wrecking Crew pooled all of their powers together to unleash a force of energy that would've surely put an end to the Young Avengers.

However, the attack would end up doing nothing to the teenage heroes. It would be a shock to all of them though as the attack was within perfect range to be fatal.

Hawkeye was the first to open her eyes when she felt something touching her shoulder. Speed also felt something unusual too, which prompted them both to look behind them. What they saw was a complete shock to them. Hulkling and Wiccan looked as well, soon finding themselves both speechless by who saved them.

Returning to the field was none other than The Vision II, their Vision.

The Vision stood there in all his glory as he had used his powers of intangibility to save his friends' lives. His armored body glistened against the sunlight with what appeared to be the full 30th Century armor restored to its proper gleam. However, it was still a bit of a puzzle just how much of their Vision was present before them.

"The Wrecking Crew," The Vision said, calmly. "You've managed to escape from prison, yet again. This time, we'll make sure that you don't escape so easily."

"Oh yeah, Robo Kid?" laughed Piledriver.

"Yes," The Vision said, glaring at the Wrecking Crew. He kept his guard up as he turned to Wiccan who bore a guilty look on his face. Ignoring the expression or unaware of its significance, The Vision didn't show any sign of either or. "Wiccan, resurrect the magic that the Wrecking Crew used to send their attack back at them. It will surely disable them so that we can defeat them."

Wiccan couldn't help but to feel an ache of his heart as he briefly ignored The Vision's words. All he could do was see the broken remains of his friend that was left behind by another friend. The other Young Avengers felt similar to what Wiccan was feeling, only the pain ran deeper in his veins. It took a gentle nudge by Hulkling in order to bring the mage back into reality though.

Nodding his head, Wiccan turned to use his magic, while the Wrecking Crew was still stunned. Wiccan was able to summon the molecular remains of their attack as he gathered them to the palm of his hands, forming a chain of blue light. It took all the focus that he had in him, but thanks to the Scarlet Witch's training, he was able to accomplish what needed to be done.

Wiccan unleashed a weaker version of the Wrecking Crew's attack, but it had the desired effect. The blast of blue magic easily overwhelmed the Wrecking Crew as it left them completely incapacitated to fight the Young Avengers any longer.

The Wrecking Crew was defeated and soon enough they were arrested where they would be sent off to jail once more.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Young Avengers gathered on the rooftop of a nearby building. They put distance between themselves and the news crew that was reporting what happened today. The Young Avengers weren't in the mood to get tangled with publicity, not since they were all anxious to know just how much of their old Vision was left in this rebuilt Vision.

The Vision stood in the center of his teammates with a light smile on his face. He easily greeted each of them, by name, clearly recognizing just who they were. But the team were waiting for The Vision to speak more as they were all too afraid to risk mentioning Cassie if it didn't need to be said.

Knowing that they couldn't hold back any longer, Hawkeye attempted to get more information out of The Vision. As afraid as she was, she knew it would be too painful for Wiccan to handle and Hulkling would be too busy trying to protect him. Speed wasn't exactly a good choice since he had the tendency of being a little too blunt.

"What's the last thing you remember, Vision?" asked Hawkeye.

The Vision frowned as he didn't have to dig far into his memory banks to answer that question. His sentience was fully functional when his predecessor, Vision I, finished his restoration. "I remember us leaving for Latveria," explained The Vision. "We had just learned that Doctor Doom was holding the Scarlet Witch prisoner and we managed to prevent Billy from transporting himself there." The Vision looked to his friends, all of whom appeared to be astonished that his memories went that far back. Just why this so would be a mystery to him until they filled him in on the missing parts of information. "I was able to backup my system that night one last time before I was…"

Wiccan closed his eyes as tears began to run down his face, which prompted Hulkling to wrap an arm around him. This didn't go unnoticed by The Vision who could tell immediately that something tragic happened.

Now that he thought about it, Eli and Cassie weren't present. The Vision was about to open his mouth to speak up about this when Speed interrupted him.

"There are some things we need to tell fill you in on," whispered Speed. "A lot happened to us after that night, some really bad things."

"To Eli and Cassie?" asked The Vision as he braced himself for the worst.

"Especially Cassie," Hawkeye said, her voices cracking from the confession as she began to cry. "She died. Doctor Doom killed her."

If he had a true heart then at the moment it would've been completely broken. However, The Vision didn't have one, but it didn't lessen the pain that he felt from what Hawkeye told him. He never could've imagined that something like that could've happened. But that wasn't the end to the news that he would hear, he had to continue listening to every detail that he could never remember on his own.

* * *

Clinging onto his pillow, Billy couldn't stop himself from crying as he lay on his bed. His throat was sore and he was well aware that he looked miserable after all the tears that he shed. But he couldn't help it, not after what happened today.

They had explained every gruesome detail to The Vision about what happened to them during the crusade. Every miserable detail that was gone from his memory, they had to pull it back together so that he could be aware of the losses that they suffered. He had been killed in action along with Cassie, while Eli left the team.

The weight on Billy's soul only grew. The Vision looked like…no words could justify that pain that he felt when he heard of Cassie's death. They had all thought it was an unbearable to deal with during that day, but now that The Vision was back it was harder to tell those facts to him so that he could relive that pain all over again.

Billy felt like a horrible person. He was the one responsible for all of it after all. He was the one who wanted to find the Scarlet Witch, he's the one who broke into Doctor Doom's castle, and he's the one that allowed his friends to be heard.

And the nagging question kept coming up in his mind, bringing with it more harm than good.

Was it all worth it?

Letting the last of his tears to stroll down his cheeks, Billy was oblivious to the sound of his bedroom door opening. He didn't realize that someone else was inside his room until he felt the bed sink from the weight of the new occupant.

It wasn't a surprise to Billy when he felt a large, muscular arm wrap itself around him. Then the scent of Kenneth Cole hit him, making it painfully obvious to Billy that it was Teddy who had broken in. Billy didn't see how his boyfriend could even attempt to spin this around to make him feel better.

"I'm a monster," whispered Billy.

Teddy sighed as he pulled his boyfriend towards his chest with both arms. He used his left hand to gently stroke Billy's cheek, wiping away the tears that were staining the beautiful face. "You're not a monster," said Teddy. "You're a mutant and a mage, not a monster." He tried to laugh at his own lame joke, but he saw that Billy wasn't budging even with humor. It meant that he was going to have to try just a little harder to break this shell that Billy built up.

And he was just man enough to attempt such a task.

The young man freed Billy from his arms for a moment before forcing Billy to lay on his back now. He climbed on top of his boyfriend with his bigger hands cupping his creamy face. "I don't see a monster when I look at you, Billy," said Teddy. "I see a boy who has made mistakes, but always fights for what he thinks is right and tries to make things right for everyone. You have such a caring heart, and that's what I love most about you."

"But it's my fault The Vision was killed in the first place," said Billy. "It was also my idea to bring him back."

"We needed The Vision," Teddy argued. "We all thought it was a good idea and we were ready to face the consequences, together, which we did." Teddy tried to stress that last point as he continued to reach out to Billy. "The Vision doesn't blame you for what happened. It was Doctor Doom who killed Cassie, not you."

Billy started to push himself up from the bed, fighting against Teddy's mass. His eyes were completely red from all of the crying as he continued to find fault within himself. "But—"

Teddy wouldn't allow this to go on any further. He sat up on his knees as he grabbed Billy by his shoulders, frightening the young boy at first, but didn't ease up as he wanted to make his point. "No more buts, Billy," said Teddy. "You cannot carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you're still just in high school, you are still just a kid. This is not your cross to bear. What happened with The Vision is not your fault. If anyone to blame it is Nathaniel, he was the one who killed him out of hate, no less."

Brushing his fingers against Billy's lips, Teddy kept close as he gently held onto his boyfriend. He could still hear Billy sniffling, fighting back the urge to cry. Yet he could tell that he had finally gotten through to him. The blond couldn't hear a counterargument so he took that as a sign that his words finally reached Billy.

Remarkably enough, Teddy did get through to him.

Billy ran his fingertips against his eyes to get rid of the tears. He still shook, but that was mainly a side effect from all the crying. He would be fine in a while but that was still a longtime from now. But for now, he could find comfort in his lover's arms as he sat quietly on Teddy's lap.

The silent between them worried Teddy since he didn't like the quiet too much. He didn't want Billy to have too much time to think since that tended to lead to self-doubt and his anxiety to get the better of him. So Teddy decided it was time to break the silence by bringing up something that neither one of them had the courage to speak up about.

That was true until now.

Digging into his pocket, Teddy found what he was looking for as he held onto it with his hand completely closed. Billy hadn't noticed which meant that the element of surprise still belonged to the young alien.

"We have some tension between us," Teddy said, softly as Billy continued to sit on his lap. Now, this caught Billy's curiosity as that self-doubt and anxiety that Teddy was trying to prevent had caught up to him. Sensing that it was happening, Teddy responded quickly to address Billy's problems. "Remember what I said to you last year after the crusade? You and I were in your room; Ms. Marvel interrupted us before we had a chance to continue."

Billy didn't need any background information to remember that night. It was the most important moment of his life, where he knew that Teddy truly loved him. "You said 'Till Death do us part'," Billy whispered, smiling. With that in mind, Billy had his own question to ask since he was aware of this tension. He wanted to see just in what direction Teddy was going with this so that he could steel his heart if necessary. "Did you mean what you said to me?" he asked, shyly, not making eye contact with Teddy. "Do you…do you really want to marry me? Even someone as neurotic and imperfect as I am?"

"There is no one more neurotic or imperfect as you are, Billy," Teddy said, grabbing Billy's left hand. When he saw how those words hurt, Teddy quickly swooped in to repair that hurt. He gently took the ring finger as he had something to give. "And that is why you're perfect for me, Billy." He slid a ring on Billy's finger, holding it there as he saw the surprise on Billy's face. This caused a smile to form on his face as he decided to say those words once more. "Till Death do us part?"

Holding up his hand, Billy saw the ring that Teddy had given him. The ring was simple with a gold and silver band that linked together. The ring was masculine in appearance, but a small diamond decorated the center, the time of diamond that only a high school kid could afford. Billy turned to Teddy, smiling just as Teddy placed his hand over his. It was just then that he noticed the exact same ring on Teddy's finger, which hadn't been there earlier today.

At a loss for words, Billy could only say the first things that came to mind.

"Till Death do us part," repeated Billy.

Grinning from ear to ear, Teddy brought their lips together for a heated kiss. Both boys locked their arms around each other, pulling each other closer as they refused to let go. Not even for a second, they pulled away as they continued to hold one another, not even pulling apart to catch their breath for the longest moment of their life.

Billy felt himself being rolled onto his back with Teddy's full weight on top of him. He had his legs wrapped around his larger boyfriend while Teddy had his hand lifting the small mage up by his lower back. Their bodies completely pressed together as the boys gave into their passion for the other until Billy felt the desperate need to take in some air.

The intake of air lasted only a few seconds as Teddy's lips returned, this time they were more gentle and soothing. Like always, Billy found himself lost in Teddy's kiss as he felt his mind drift out of his body as he went on pure autopilot. In a matter of moments, Teddy was taking both of their clothes off, taking his time with disrobing Billy, until they both were naked on the bed and their bodies rubbing against each other.

The contrast between them was a little obvious. Due to his genealogy, it made Teddy's form larger than Billy could possibly be. Fully formed muscles rubbed against still developing one as their lengths rubbed together, bringing pleasure to them both. Billy thought back to their first time having sex together which was after the Civil War. He had been so nervous about letting Teddy do that to him after seeing his manhood, but he was happy that he went through with it. Neither one felt more complete until that moment where they both surrendered themselves to the other.

Billy pulled away from Teddy as he magically lifted the covers over them. Teddy could only grin as he got closer to his love as the blanket felt on top of them as they brought their lips found each other once more. They took their time, sharing their love with each other before they would finally make love.

* * *

Hidden from science and magic, The Organized stirred trouble as they plotted in the shadows. The six villains gathered to further their plans for the great change that was about to take place in the world. As they assembled, the gears were already turning as the world was teetering closer towards the chaotic annihilation that waited for it.

The Old World would be destroyed to make room for the New World. An ironic change as the discovery of the New World was the catalyst that brought about a great change for the Earth. And now, The Organization were about to usher in the birth of a New World to be built on top of the ashes of the old.

Soon, the world as they knew it would be incinerated and rebuilt to fit the ideals of their Master.

Supernova waited for his companions to join him in the control room. Within these walls were all the devices that The Organization used to monitor the Chaos and the heroes that protected the Earth. Staring into one of the screens, he could see tensions escalating between the X-Men and the Avengers. Neither party was fully aware of the Phoenix Force approaching the Earth, but The Organization was.

The Phoenix was the sign of the destruction and rebirth that would take place in the coming months. As the Phoenix drew near, so did the time of the resurrection. The spell that bound their Master outside of this reality would be at its most vulnerable since the spell had been put into place. It would be then that their Master could be freed to walk on the Earth once more.

There was still much for them to do though to prepare for this glorious day.

Supernova pulled the hood of his coat down as he allowed his face to be seen in the open. The first thing that an individual would notice about his face were the three, jagged scars that ran along the right side. They were the lasting marks that served as testament to his loyalty to his Master. His right eye was severally damaged, however, which is why he wore an eye-patch to cover the damage. Long, silver hair flowed from his head to prove his age along with the wrinkles that covered his face, but his appearances were almost as deceiving as Deception's powers.

His body was far stronger then the man three times younger then he was. He held an extraordinary amount of power within him that was a gift from his Master, bestowed upon him as reward for breaking one of many seals. The supernatural energies coursed deep into his veins, giving him a power that no one could dream of ever attaining. He was powerful enough to challenge the gods of the universe.

Now, Supernova was finally greeted by the appearance of the rest of his team.

Volt was amongst the first to reach him alongside her partner, Deception. Volt was a beautiful, dark woman from the desert who escaped the bondage of her former people after she gained the power of electricity by accident. Her power grew strong, marking her with a great power that she held full mastery over.

Keeping close to her out of devotion, Deception was a man of mystery. The pale-skinned man kept his past a secret to everyone, but he could not hide everything. His voice betrayed him as he spoke with a thick, Eastern European accent. He wasn't very large, his leaner figure allowed people to underestimate his capabilities. He could weasel his way into a person's mind, using his powers to cripple his enemies by their own fears.

Following the duo was the Elemental Trio that Supernova had such high hopes for. They were three Mutants whom each held one of the primal powers of nature.

Terra, the eldest, was a physically large, young man that was built as strong as a mountain. Even his robes could not hide the muscle underneath that came from his training. His mutation granted him power over the earth in a way that made him virtually unstoppable. Ventus stood beside her brother on his left. The family resemblance was uncanny as they both had light, brown skin with dark brown hair and matching eyes along with other similar features. For Ventus, she was just as impressive as her brother. His equal in virtually every way, she had full control over the wind and used it with the greatest of ease. The brother and sister had searched for purpose in a world where Mutants had been stripped of their powers when they had encounter Supernova.

And Aqua, the newest member to The Organization, had been brought here by Supernova after he found the youth on the verge of suicide. Supernova saved the olive-skinned youth and gave his life meaning as member of The Organization. His mutation was of great value to Supernova as it completed his trinity. The youth's blue hair was a symbol of his affinity for water, which he used not only to battle his opponents but to turn them against themselves by controlling the water that constituted their bodies. Aqua remained close to Terra, standing on his right side for his own comfort.

The Organization was complete as Supernova took his place at the center.

"We are all aware of our duties," said Supernova. "The time for Ascension is nearly upon us. Our Master waits for us to release him from the Void outside of time and space."

"And so he shall," spoke Deception. "He will be restored as we bring the world's heroes to their knees."

"Those that survive," Volt said, correcting him. "Their war is about to begin, which means that some of them will surely die."

"Or all of them if we are lucky," laughed Terra. "Either way, we will crush all who oppose us."

"Yes yes, it will all be so much fun," giggled Ventus. "So much fun as they face Oblivion."

"It will all happen soon," Aqua said, softly. "The heroes cannot fight the inevitable."

Supernova gently touched Aqua's cheek, lifting the youth's head up. The elder of The Organization was well aware of a secondary mutation that granted Aqua a small degree foresight to future events. It was a power that he shared with him, only his was far superior and clearer than what the young Mutant could see.

Circling around his companions, Supernova felt pride for the forces that he had assembled before him. They were all competent and willing to carry out his commands that would lead to the destruction of this world. After all, he had carefully recruited them all for a reason. They were all brought together for their skills as well as their potential loyalty to an ideal that they each sought.

They all wanted nothing more than freedom from the pain of the world that had oppressed them.

And Supernova promised that freedom, but they were all too foolish and believed a man with a serpent's tongue.

* * *

Oblivious to all of the eyes monitoring them, the Young Avengers found solace in their headquarters as they came together the following day.

The Vision was at the central computer, busying himself with work that had been left unattended to since his…death. He quickly immersed himself in this work as it was better than the alternative of having to face the pain that he felt within him. He searched through the data banks to discover more about the second Avengers Initiative that his predecessor had left behind.

Since they had recruited Tommy, those files had been left untouched. There was no need to recruit more Young Avengers until now. If what Wanda told Billy was correct then the coming of the Phoenix Force meant that a battle was coming. Each time that the Phoenix Force had come to Earth, it marked a period of turmoil for the superhero teams that protect goodness and order.

That is why he was able to understand just why he was needed. As much as the loss of Cassie effected him, The Vision wanted to protect this world from everything that would do it harm. That meant protecting the innocent from the return of the Phoenix Force as well as a second superhero war.

Kate, Tommy, Billy, and Teddy watched The Vision work in a way that was borderline unhealthy. They tried to let this slide as this was barely the first full day that The Vision was back to life and was dealing with the shock of what happened the best that they could. Each one of them had gone through a period where they needed some time alone to deal with their pain so they would respect his space as much as possible.

Billy felt especially troubled even if The Vision personally told the mage that he didn't blame him for what happened. It somehow didn't sit right for Billy, but he took The Vision for his word.

Leave it to Tommy though to find a way to completely change the atmosphere in the room.

As the team went towards the lounge space, Tommy spotted a tiny sparkle on his brother's hand. It immediately caught his attention which caused the speedster to make a dramatic scene as he tried to figure it out what he had just seen.

Billy felt painfully uncomfortable as his twin grabbed onto his hand. When he noticed a strange gleam in Tommy's eyes, Billy and Teddy knew that he was going to blow. It was never a good sign when Tommy got that twinkle in his eyes.

"This is an engagement ring," Tommy said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Billy wanted to smack that look off his brother's face, but he settled for taking his hand back. It didn't stop Tommy from bursting though, laughing a little, which set off an alarm for Kate. "If it weren't for the fact that you two are gay, I'd be asking if this is a shotgun wedding."

Teddy glared at his housemate, while Billy held back the urge to say something nasty. Lucky for him, he had a fiancé who would take care of that for him. So Teddy came to the rescue with his eyes on Tommy. "Keep it up, Tommy," said Teddy, "and I'll show you how what shotgun means in Kree language."

Surprisingly, Tommy remained silent as he didn't want to get some weird, alien, rectal punishment.

Kate laughed because of Tommy's silence, which was equally amusing to Teddy and Billy. She preceded to hug each of the boys, smiling at them both. "Congratulations, you two," she said, happily. "This is amazing news! I can't believe the two of you are gonna get married now. I mean…I pictured it happening, but why the rush now?"

"Well," said Billy, "as we've said before."

"Why should Northstar have all the fun?" laughed Teddy.

Finding the humor in this, everyone was beginning to laugh at the joke that Teddy made. It wasn't that long ago that the X-Man, Northstar married his boyfriend, which actually made the front page of many liberal newspapers, conservative ones too but for different reasons.

Billy and Teddy were about to discuss their wedding plans when alarms starting going off. The four of them immediately ran towards the computers with Billy causing a wardrobe change to happen in a flash. However, as they assembled to the central computer, they discovered nothing on the screen, but saw a grave looking Vision turned to face them.

"What's going on, Vision?" asked Kate.

The Vision simply held up a small device in his hand. It didn't look bigger than a quarter, maybe, but it was reason enough for The Vision to set off the alarm. "We've been bugged," he said, firmly. "Somebody has been monitoring us. I've already begun tracing the infiltrator, but it will take some time."

Picking up the small camera, Teddy couldn't believe by just how tiny it was. Nor could he understand just who it was that found them interesting enough to spy on. "How many cameras do you think there are?" asked Teddy.

"That I'm not sure of," said The Vision.

Tommy felt disturbed as he got the chills from this. It made him wonder just how long that they've been spied on. He just hoped that they hadn't seen him doing the Risky Business dance the other night while Teddy was away grocery shopping. "Do we have a way to track these things down at least?" asked Tommy.

"Already on it," Billy said, his eyes glowing with magic.

Scattered sparks hit the headquarters as Billy used his magic to track down the individual cameras down. They went off on the walls, on shelves, and a few more went off by lounge space and other parts of their base.

It took about two minutes for the spell to finish off the last of them. Billy's head started to hurt a little, but he was positive that they were all gone at this point.

Luckily, The Vision also had managed to track down the source of the break-in. He pulled up a location to a loft in the middle of Manhattan, which meant somebody with power was after them.

All that needed to be done was for them to go there and kick some ass. A teleportation spell was cast, and soon the Young Avengers were transported across town to where they needed to be.

* * *

Cursing his luck, Landon Samuels dismantled some of his equipment as he prepared for an ambush. His training would really be put to the test as he set up the traps that he had ready for when the Young Avengers had gotten smart about him. It certainly happened a lot sooner though, but he blamed The Vision for that one. He hadn't counted on the Synthazoid being rebuilt and fully operational in his official capacity.

It was almost damnation worthy, but the agent wasn't stupid. He was well aware of what the Young Avengers had to offer and knew exactly what he had to do to counter those powers.

Landon suited up for battle, wearing the standard issue blue suit that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents wore. He set off the defenses in his loft as he moved into one room specifically to begin the attack. Flipping the switch, he activated an electric wall that would be most useful against a particular speedster.

Now all he had to do was wait. He leaned back against a wall, waiting until the Young Avengers made their move.

A flicker of light began to flash inside the loft until the Young Avengers fully arrived. Wiccan's spell did its job, but they were surprised to see that they were inside a large loft. This seemed very out of the ordinary and almost made Wiccan question his spell until The Vision spotted some computers that had been used to monitor their headquarters.

The viewing screens were all static now since they destroyed all the cameras. This became painfully clear that whoever has been watching them was doing it from here.

The Vision tried scanning the loft, searching for any signs of life. There wasn't much to go on, which he found strangely disturbing. That's when Wiccan used another spell, which proved a little more effective then The Vision's scan.

"I can sense someone else inside," said Wiccan, "but I can't point him out. He's nearly impervious to magic."

"Well then let's see how he feels about speed!" laughed Speed.

The speedster raced out of the living room, despite the protest of the team. In a matter of seconds, Speed had checked most of the loft out except for a final room. When he walked through the door, Landon spotted the blur and the immediate electrical shock that followed afterwards.

Speed howled in pain as the electrical surge coursed through his veins. He fell to the ground, withering in pain with his fingers digging into the carpet.

Landon heard that the Young Avengers chose to split up to find Speed. He grabbed got his next trap ready as he hoped for the mage coming in next. Disarming the electrical wall, the agent would wait until his next victim showed up.

A few steps count running down the hall, checking every room in sight. Landon tensed as he held onto the rag when the Young Avenger finally came into the room.

He spotted Speed unconscious on the ground. Wiccan immediately ran to his brother's side to attempt to heal him. "I got you, Tommy," whispered Wiccan. "Don't worry. I'll patch you up in no time."

The spell started to activate only for Wiccan to find himself being pulled away. Before the mage could yell, Landon had a rag full of chloroform over his mouth. Wiccan recognized his attacker, but there was nothing else that he could do to prevent the gas from taking its effect. He slumped back, his full weight now against the agent before being gently laid down beside Speed.

"Take a nap, boys," Landon said, throwing the rag aside. "We have some business to discuss later."

Regrouping, Landon escaped from the room since he knew that he wouldn't get lucky in there a third time. He had what he needed to take down the alien since Hulkling was the next big threat to contend with. A specially designed taser was in his hand, which was strong enough to take down Kree soldiers.

Now to see how well it would work against a half-Kree and half-Skrull teenager.

Hulkling, Hawkeye, and The Vision found each other after clearing out their part of the loft. When they saw that Wiccan wasn't back, they immediately knew that he had been taken out like Speed.

An angry fiancé was one thing, but an angry, alien fiancé was a whole other ballgame. Hulkling was storming down the halls, trying to find out who attacked Wiccan and where he was at. The alien teen found the room where Speed and Wiccan laid unconscious.

He picked them both up and got them out of there, bringing them both back to the living room where the others were at. As he laid the both of them on the ground, Hulkling just got up on his feet when Hawkeye and The Vision shouted at him to look out.

Landon had snuck up behind the alien, carefully making sure that the hybrid hadn't sensed his presence. Hulkling barely turned around when Landon struck him with the taser, instantly sending a series of electrical impulses into the young man's body. Even for someone with as much alien resistance as him, Hulkling went down for the count.

Landon dropped the weapon on the ground as he set his eyes on Hawkeye and The Vision.

Hawkeye immediately recognized Landon from the party. The guy that they attempted to save, but proved that he could save himself from muggers. She was surprised to see that he was the one behind this, but somehow she pieced together that he wasn't alone on this. Just who was the man behind the curtain was a different story.

The Vision sprung into action, the one person that Landon hadn't accounted for. But the agent didn't want to deal with the Synthazoid. His main focus was Hawkeye, she was the leader, the one he needed to talk to.

Landon pulled all his training together as he attempted to take down the Synthazoid. He would have to make this as quick as possible since he didn't to give The Vision too much time to get his bearings.

When a hand got dangerously close, Landon avoid what The Vision's plan to phase through to disable his opponent. He jumped into the air and landed on top of The Vision, forcing the Synthazoid to crash to the ground. The agent grinned by just how easy that was as he placed a special chip on The Vision's neck to temporarily disable him.

Now that there was only one left, Landon felt that things could continue a little more smoothly.

How wrong he was.

The moment that Landon got off The Vision, Hawkeye had punched him right in the face. The blow came as a bit of a surprise, but it wasn't one that left him stunned. Landon immediately pulled himself back together as he blocked Hawkeye's next attack. He pushed her fists away from him before grabbing onto her bow and arrows.

Stripping her of those weapons, Landon forced Hawkeye to hand-to-hand combat. Hawkeye wasn't exactly put off by this as she charged in after him, throwing her leg right at his face.

Landon caught her only to be caught off guard when Hawkeye used her second leg to latch onto him. She climbed onto the agent with her full body weight forcing him to fall back on a nearby couch. She drove her elbow down on his thigh before springing off him, landing on top of a table, while the young man attempted to rush her.

The two collided once more, both them latching onto each other as they rolled on the ground. For a minute, they fought on the ground with their legs mostly flying after each other as the other would attempt to counter by slamming their foot down on top of them only to miss and hit the floor. Hawkeye was the closet and fastest to hitting her mark, but Landon had a lot more power behind his attacks.

They would eventually break away to get back on their feet. Landon threw a fist at Hawkeye only for her to catch his hand and brush it aside. She dropped to the ground and tried trip him with a leg swing. Landon jumped over her leg and grabbed her as she was recovering from her own attack.

With his hands on her shoulders, he was able to throw her down on the coffee table. Hawkeye briefly groaned in pain as she rolled off there just as Landon would've jumped on top. She pulled herself back together and managed to punch him in the abdomen. Landon fell back, hitting the floor with a loud thud as Hawkeye retrieved her bow and arrow, readying herself to shoot him down.

Unfortunately for her, Landon was equally ready for a shooting match to shot as he retrieved a gun. He cocked the trigger only to be rendered unable to battle as The Vision had snuck up from behind him. The Synthazoid phased his hand through Landon's chest to force the agent to slip into an unconscious state without doing any damage to his internal organs.

After some time had passed, Landon would wake up to find himself tied to a chair. As he regained his consciousness, it would soon be followed with the tip of an arrow coming dangerously close to his nose. The agent looked up to see that all of the Young Avengers were back and none of them looked exactly pleased to see him.

"Well then," Landon said, realizing just how tight he was tied up, "this isn't a highlight for me."

"Who the hell are you!" shouted Speed. "And why have you been spying on us?"

Landon huffed a little, which was a mistake since it caused him to feel pain from where Hawkeye had hit him. He flinched as he regained his composure before grinning at the speedster. "Isn't it obvious?" asked the young man. "Couldn't you tell by all the tech and how easily I took most of you down?" When he saw the blank look on their faces, he could only roll his eyes. He looked to his shoulder and began to wiggle out of his binds a little so that the patch could be clearly seen. "I'm Agent Landon Samuels of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh shit," said the Young Avengers.

Hawkeye dropped her bow and arrow to her side, while the others took a step back. This did not bode well if S.H.I.E.L.D was the ones spying on them, not to mention they just had a smack down with one of their agents.

Yeah, this couldn't end well for them.

"Care to explain why S.H.I.E.L.D is so fascinated with us all of a sudden?" asked Wiccan. "They haven't bothered us since Director Hill had the Warden lock us away in The Cube."

"Former Director Maria Hill," corrected Landon. "She has stepped down from the agency after the Civil War and Secret Invasion forced her into doing tasks that she was not comfortable with." No point in hiding the truth any longer. This was the Director's intentions after all when she gave him this assignment. "S.H.I.E.L.D. now follows the orders of Director Daisy Johnson aka Quake. I've been ordered by Director Johnson to monitor you all after your battle against The Avengers, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom."

Hulkling and the others appeared puzzled as he untied the agent. It didn't make sense to keep him tied up since Landon was technically on their side too. "That doesn't make sense," said Hulkling. "Why does this new Director care so much about us?"

Landon could only huff again since the team failed to realize their own importance. He leaned back against the chair, comfortably since he was free from the rope. "You're Avengers now for starters," said Landon, "and because of what you did. You fought two of the most powerful superhero teams and the most powerful supervillain in the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. is very concerned with what you are all capable of. The next generation of heroes is a cause for concern as you've all proven that despite being young, you are just as powerful as the old generation. That terrifies a lot of people, so the Director wanted me to see how trusted your team could be."

"Because S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to arrest us?" asked Hawkeye.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to help you," corrected Landon. "Director Johnson is proof that government and heroes can work together to protect this world. That is why I was assigned to monitor you. The director wishes for me to become part of the Young Avengers as a member and your liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And just who are you, Mr. Samuels?" asked The Vision. "Your fighting style is impressive and as an agent, I am curious to know who trained you."

"My father, Richard Samuels, was an agent and he used to work alongside Nick Fury," said Landon. "I learned the basics from my father, however, my mentor in S.H.I.E.L.D. was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow." Noticing the surprise on the Young Avengers face because of how aware they were of that famous name caused him to grin. He kicked one leg over the other as he held back the urge to laugh at them. "Yes, just like you, I have a connection to an Avenger. That is why Director Johnson chose me to work with you. I'm the only agent to have been trained by Agent Romanoff."

Speed couldn't help but to grin with laughter as he turned to Hawkeye who still looked shocked. He nudged his secret girlfriend in order to get her to breathe again. "The Black Widow's protégé versus Hawkeye's protégé," laughed Speed. "Wow…I really wished I could've seen that fight."

Hawkeye elbowed him in the ribs, causing Speed to groan after all those shocks that he took.

Landon stood up from the chair without inspiring any terror for the Young Avengers. He turned to Hawkeye as she was the only one who could do as he requested. "I apologize for spying and attacking you all," said the agent. "However, I was under orders from the Director so I hope you understand why I had to. Director Johnson truly does wish for the Young Avengers to work alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect this world, especially with a new superhero war on the horizon."

"You know about that?" Wiccan asked, almost astonished.

Landon nodded his head at the mage with a grim look on his face. "Everyone who pays attention knows it," said the young agent. "The escalating tension between the Avengers and the X-Men has not gone unnoticed by S.H.I.E.L.D. We are attempting to remain as neutral as possible since what happened during the Civil War. Our main objective now is to protect the civilians from the crossfire that is bound to occur."

Hearing the similarities between words, Hawkeye remembered what The Vision I and Scarlet Witch told them to do. She turned to her tea, seeing how the same thought came to mind. "That's exactly what the Avengers want us to do," said Hawkeye. The rest of her team simply nodded their heads as she looked back at the agent. "Alright, I suppose that we both want the same things. We should work together."

"Understood," said the young man. "I assure you that you want regret this decision, Hawkeye. None of you will."

"We'll see," Speed said, almost sarcastically.

"Welcome to the Young Avengers, Agent Samuels," said Hawkeye.

Extending her hand to him, Landon quickly accepted it with honor. "Please," he had begun to say, "call me Turquoise Boy."

The other Young Avengers soon welcomed their new teammate as well as the vast resources that were being offered to them through him. Landon Samuels/Turquoise Boy had proven today by taking down most of them that his skills would be useful to them during the coming struggles.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This chapter is a little shorter then the last one, but for a good reason. It's basically just the set up for things to come. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, regardless. AND! I would really like some reviews. I've been checking the traffic. I got people from the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Singapore, and more reading! U.S. readers, you especially could leave some reviews for me. So please review and I'll give you a cookie!  
**

**Calm before the Storm: **

_Things were really starting to change for us, and I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this._

_I wasn't sure about many things. Taking over leadership of the Young Avengers from Eli was one of my biggest uncertainties. If there was anyone who felt the same level of guilt as Billy did from the crusade, it was me. I failed the team as a leader back then, but this was now. I wasn't about to make that same mistake twice. We've come too far since then._

_But now, we still had to be cautious about accepting Landon into our team. As much as I wanted to believe that he was on our side, we had lost so much as a team…as a family that it wouldn't feel right to welcome him exactly with open arms. But still, Landon was a valuable asset to the Young Avengers. He was not only a combat master, but his resources with S.H.I.E.L.D. would be invaluable to use in the near future._

_Especially if this war between the Avengers and the X-Men got out of hand, but that wasn't our concern._

_The main objective of the Young Avengers was to repel the supervillains and protect the citizens._

_But this all sounded outrageously pathetic. What would happen to us if we took on Doctor Doom or Kang the Conqueror or any other serious villain? The only reason we survived those battles was because we had experienced heroes fighting beside us. Even though Captain America recognized our skills, I still wasn't certain if we were ready as a team to take on these threats. _

_As a leader, I have to be cautious. I refuse to lead my team into a battle that we have no chance of surviving. _

_I already had to watch my best friend die. I already had to suffer the loss of my mother and my own innocence. I would never allow unnecessary harm to befall any of my friends, ever again._

_I will be strong. I will be the leader that these boys need. _

_I might be the only girl left in the Young Avengers, but I have proven on more than one occasion that I'm just as tough as all of them. I might not be superhuman or a mutant or have mystical abilities, but I can sure as hell take down a Kree soldier like the best of them. I, partly, had my namesake to thank for helping me reach that level of strength. Clint was surrounded by superhumans and gods during his early days as an Avenger, he was just a man who had to prove that he could fight alongside the best of them._

_If he could do it then so could I._

_I will prove my own strength and leadership capacity to everyone, especially to myself._

* * *

The flashing lights and noise of the city were a wakeup call for Kate as she stepped out of the car with Tommy emerging behind her. Once again, her sister had forced Kate into attending another one of these socialite events so she figured the best way to survive them was to have Tommy with her. The speedster provided a soothing affect to her, one that helped her from wanting to push her sister down some stairs at times like now.

Surrounded by New York's young and wealthy, it was going to be one of those nights.

Kate grabbed a glass of wine away from one of the servers and chugged it down as Tommy watched with his eyes lit up. She took down the glass before grabbing another, which she attempt to chug before Tommy snatched it. However, the problem with dating a speedster was that he was always faster than you were.

Tommy kept the glass away from her and stole its contents by swallowing them himself. "Yeah, babe," said Tommy. "You don't need to turn to alcohol, yet. The party isn't that bad. I mean, nobody has said anything to you yet or talk smack about being here with a poor guy. I think you can make it through tonight."

Realizing that she was exaggerating some, Kate agreed with Tommy as she found the strength to get through tonight. She locked arms with her date and she presented them before the children of her father's friends. Of course, she couldn't go as far as to say that they were both Young Avengers or that Tommy was the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch, which made him Quicksilver's nephew and Magneto's grandson. All of that was swept under the rug for obvious reasons, along with his history of juvenile delinquency.

The two of them kept up with appearances in order to survive the event before them. It was worse than fighting the Wrecking Crew, which made Kate hope that some supervillain would break in and ruin the party just so she'd have something to fight. Even Tommy had his fingers crossed for that one as he met the people that Kate had to involve herself with. Now he totally understood why she was so anti-socialite. These people were even more annoying and obnoxious then Tony Stark could get, sometimes.

As the night was winding down, Tommy led Kate outside where they could finally get their escape. Their ride had yet to arrive since traffic was being a bitch as half of the guests were leaving at this time as well. It meant that the couple would have to wait for quite some time before they could finally get home.

Unless they decided to take off running, which Tommy suggested but Kate had to shoot down.

Kate felt a little light-headed as she sat down on a bench with Tommy standing over her. The leader of the Young Avengers had her head turned to face the road, keeping herself vigilant in case any trouble arose. With so many children of the city's wealthiest around, it was practically screaming to be a magnet for trouble.

On the other hand, Tommy decided not to pay that much attention as he had his eyes on Kate instead. A crooked grin formed on his face as he found himself finally making eye contact with her.

"What?" Kate said, grinning as she knew he was up to no good.

Continuing to smirk, Tommy crossed his arms over his chest. He tried not to make any move that could get him in trouble with, but his grin was enough to make her a little paranoid. "Nothing," he said, attempting to blow her off. When he knew that wasn't going to happen, he decided to bait her a little as he leaned in a little closer. "Well that's a lie. May I say, Ms. Bishop, that you look particularly ravishing this evening?"

Rolling her eyes, Kate kicked Tommy's leg with the back of her heels. The speedster stepped back, chuckling as she got up on her feet to stand a little closer towards him. "You're a trouble maker, Shepherd," said Kate. "A bad influence on everyone."

"Oh really?" laughed Tommy. He started to circle around his partner with his signature, cocky grin taking form on his face. Kate wasn't exactly thrilled as she stood there with her arms crossed over her dress. "You guys are still worried about little old me when we should be worried about the government agent that you welcomed with open arms?"

"If Landon is a Judas then we'll deal with it when the time comes," said Kate. "Besides, we could always get your twin to turn him into a gerbil if he stabs us in the back."

Tommy couldn't help but to laugh as he thought that would be interesting. Not that he really was thrilled by the brother-talk. He was still getting used to himself admitting that Billy and him were of the same blood, hearing other people talk about it, besides the Maximoffs, just seemed a little nerve wrecking.

Only a little though since Tommy was starting to like the idea of having a family. After all, the Young Avengers gave him the closest thing that he's ever had to a real family in his whole life.

Leaning in closer towards her, Tommy placed a hand on her shoulder with his fingers sliding underneath the strap of her dress. He looked into her eyes as he waited for a response from her to see if she wanted him to continue, which she gave him. "I like this tougher attitude Hawkette," whispered Tommy. "I think Barton would be proud of how far you've come."

"Trying to push me into the arms of another man, Tommy?" asked Kate. "Let's not even get started with the facts that he's married to Mockingbird."

"I would never," Tommy said, gently grabbing Kate by her hips. His lips now hovered dangerously close over hers as he closed his eyes in anticipation of his next move. "I want to be your only guy."

Kate smirked as she placed her hands over his abdomen. Closing her own eyes, she tilted her head so that her lips were just a little closer towards his. "Well then, Speedy," said Kate, "why don't you do something about it?"

Doing just that, Tommy pressed his lips against hers without a moment's hesitation. The both of them felt fireworks going off inside their heads as they pulled themselves closer together. Their lips stayed together for what felt like an eternity before they finally pulled apart, opening their eyes so to gaze at each other.

The bliss that followed afterwards had to be rudely interrupted as a pair of voices caused both Kate and Tommy's eyes to light up.

"Holy Hell!"

Looking to the side, Kate and Tommy were still in each other's arms as they now saw Billy and Teddy standing on the sidewalk as well. The other couple was in a state of shock with Billy's jaw hanging open as Teddy stood there like a statue. Even Kate and Tommy were frozen as they looked at their teammates, unsure of just what to do next.

It took a while, but Tommy finally found the words to say something snarky about the situation that they were in. "I guess you and I just came out of the closet, Kate," Tommy whispered towards his now official girlfriend.

Kate could only nod her head, agreeing with that logic, while Billy and Teddy were still puzzled by what they had just seen. "I guess we have a bit of explaining to do," she said, knowing that their undercover relationship had been exposed. There was no going back now so they'd just have to deal with any judgment that came their way.

Not that Billy and Teddy could judge, they were gay after all.

* * *

Staring at the chessboard in front of him, Landon found himself locked into a death match against The Vision. Whatever provoked him to play the game against the Synthazoid was beyond him. The young agent could only stare mindlessly as he tried to come up with his next move, which he knew that The Vision already had a plan to counter it.

Playing chess against a supercomputer was the dumbest idea ever.

But here he was, still holding onto tooth and nail against his robotic adversary. Landon picked up his bishop with his eyes briefly meeting The Vision's stare. He had to admit that The Vision had one hell of a poker face. And that's how he made a mental note to himself to never play poker against The Vision, or at least, never bet against him.

Landon claimed the opposing bishop for himself with his turn finally coming to an end. He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for The Vision to make his next move. "So what do the rest of the Young Avengers think of me?" asked the young man. "I'm assuming that they are a little tense about having a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent working with them. They must be on their guard with me around, assuming that I'll rat them out to Director Johnson for anything and everything."

"On the contrary," The Vision said as he made his move, "we're happy to have you on the team, Agent Samuels." He claimed the bishop that the agent had just moved. Now the young man had less than six pieces on the board, while The Vision had the majority of his. Unwilling to show his surprise, Landon attempted to make his next move as The Vision patiently waited. "The Young Avengers needs new recruits, having a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent fighting beside us would make things considerably easier, especially since you were trained by the Black Widow."

"Glad to be of help," Landon said, sounding frustrated by the fact that he was losing. He could not see any way at all to reclaim victory. He was barely hanging onto his king and queen, all of his pawns were gone, he had only one other bishop on the board, and the rest were all rooks. "I heard that Kate said that we still need more members. Do you plan on turning to the Avengers Academy or the Jean Grey School? I'm sure that there must be some teens in there that would be excellent recruits for the Young Avengers."

The Vision continued to wait for a frustrated Landon to make his next move. When it seemed painfully obvious that the young man had no clue, The Vision almost felt a need to laugh at the agent as he already had an idea what he was planning. "Kate doesn't wish to turn to either school," The Vision began to explain. "With things so tense between the X-Men and Avengers, we don't want to potentially risk getting tied into this war by recruiting from within their ranks. It seems like a dangerous entanglement that we do not wish to get trapped in."

"Ah yes," Landon said, finally deciding to sacrifice a rook. "How could I forget about the new superhero war?" He watched as The Vision claimed the rook, which cut a path open to the agent's queen as well. This wasn't about to end well for him as The Vision obviously saw this coming as he claimed the queen as well. "You said that Billy had a premonition of the Phoenix Force returning to Earth? It seems that would make, the Phoenix would be the necessary catalyst for a war between the two groups. Scott Summers, no doubt, will believe that the Phoenix Force could be used to restore mutantkind to what it was before M-Day."

"Wanda's services had already been turned down, which makes the situation all the more dangerous," said The Vision as he examined the pieces he collected. "She could've restored mutantkind with her old, reality alteration powers, but Scott refused to reason with her. Now, the powers of the LifeForce have returned from whence they came."

"Can you blame him?" asked Landon, refusing to make a move for the moment. "Wanda Maximoff was the one responsible for stripping virtually every Mutant on the planet of their powers by saying only three words."

"'No more mutants'," they said, mimicking the words of the Scarlet Witch.

"Understanding her pain and what she had been forced to experience," said The Vision, "would any of us responded differently if we had her power? If the X-Men had that power, would they use it to force humankind to accept mutantkind? If the Avengers could then they probably would wish away all evil." Knowing that he'd incite controversy, The Vision had one more example to give to Landon just as the agent made a fatal move. "In the hands of the U.S. government, wouldn't they use it to dispose of all their adversaries?"

Landon's king was wide open for attack, which the agent hadn't realized at the moment. Those final words rang a clear bell to him as he thought back to the history of his people. Not that long ago, the U.S. virtually sanctioned the genocide of Native Americans by various "legal" means that were supposed to be "humane". It always made him feel like a fake every time he thought about his ancestors and how he now worked as an agent of the government.

The Vision claimed Landon's king, putting an end to their game. "Checkmate," said the Synthazoid, winning the chess match.

Closing his eyes, Landon found a tightness gripping at his chest. The Vision noticed this and immediately began to scan for medical procedures to assist his teammate when Landon suddenly looked up to face him.

"The reason I took the name Turquoise Boy was because of a legend of my people," said Landon.

"From what data I was able to collect, I can conclude that you are Navajo descent, correct?" asked The Vision.

Landon nodded his head as he found himself continuing. "Turquoise Boy was a hermaphrodite and savior of my people," said the agent. "He worked with First Man, First Woman, White-Shell Girl and others by taking them safely across to the next world, our world." Clenching his fists as he turned to look at the massive space of the headquarters, he found himself itching to get into a battle. "I honor Turquoise Boy by taking his name and using it to protect the people, all people, regardless of who they are."

The Vision found himself silently nodding his head to Landon before stirring from his chair. He thanked the agent for the game and trusting him enough to tell his story.

Landon thanked The Vision as well before demanding a rematch with him in the future.

* * *

The infiltration began with the Organization, silently, monitoring their adversaries. Supernova monitored all of their progress from their headquarters, while the other members having their assignments that they needed to follow. And thanks to Supernova's powers, the five of them were immune to any detection that their foes might have had to reveal them.

Inside the stronghold of the U.S. government, Volt was undercover inside the White House. She was disguised as an aide for the president, thus granting her access to sensitive information that she would use against the government.

But first she had to portray herself as someone trustworthy and undistinguishable from all the other aides. The only thing she had to make her stand out was, besides the fact that she was darker than most of the aides, was her name. Her true name Sasha Siddiqui helped to pull herself a little closer to the president, especially since she shared a name with one his daughters.

Sasha kept it all professional as she walked down the halls of the White House with files that were absolutely necessary for the president to sign. She had been inside the White House for a few days now, so she understood the protocol and was able to move around without anyone detecting her.

Dark brown hair neatly tied into a bun, Sasha entered the Oval Office to find herself in the presence of the cabinet members. She took the time to recite each of the members by name before approaching the president's desk with the files. "Mr. President, I have some documents that you need to file out," she said to him. "The sooner that these are filled out the better."

"Alright, Sasha, I'll get to these as soon as I can," said the president. "Now, can you deliver these papers to Anthony? I need these sent to the Pentagon for immediate action to be taken."

Taking the files from him, she smiled as she gracefully agreed to do as the president had requested. "I'll make sure that he gets them to the Pentagon, A.S.A.P," she said, behaving to the best of her abilities. "You can count on me, Mr. President."

"Excellent," said the president. "Thank you, Sasha."

The woman exited the office after bidding her farewells to the president and his cabinet. Closing the door behind her, it took all she had not to laugh at them. They were all fools, regardless of the political party in charge. After all, she had been in the White House since Bush Administration's second term. She has seen many decision being made, all of which had their strings pulled by The Organization.

The electricity manipulating woman found herself simply disappointed by the president as she found him and the whole government virtually powerless to what The Organization was planning.

Disappointed, but on the verge of hysteria by how hilarious it all was.

Sasha opened the files in her hand and began to go through the documents. She quickly read through them all as a large grin began to form on her face. "The situation in the Middle East and North Africa, this is positively delicious," laughed Sasha. "I'm sure Nova would like the read these new developments. With any luck, it would be something that we can use against the government."

From above, a security camera was on Sasha, but it failed to send images of her reading the files as the feed was lost to static.

* * *

Across the country, Terra followed his duties under his real name Joseph Valentine. His assignment took him to the Avengers Academy, which was under the control of Hank Pym and other Avengers.

The purpose of the Academy was to prevent the outbreak of a new generation of villains. Any young, superpowered individual who could potentially become a supervillain were brought in. It was supposed to be for the benefit of all mankind, but the students didn't originally think that way when they had learned the Avengers reasoning for them being enrolled. It led to some hostilities between the students and faculty before they were finally able to come together for the greater good.

For Joseph, he thought the whole thing was some massive nightmare of amateur counseling. The passivity of Pym was on a borderline sociopath level. It really was, Joseph had to wonder just what was going on in the head of that scientist.

But that was all issues to deal with on a different day. The young man's focus was on getting in good with the students to find out the secrets of the Avengers.

Still, it felt odd for Terra as he found himself in a classroom environment. His powers easily got him cleared as a potential villain, the irony of it all, which is why he was now sitting in a school desk, listening to Pym lecture on about something.

Virtually all the students were ignoring the man's ramblings anyways so Joseph felt he was in the clear to do the same. He listened to all of the conversations going on at once, using the vibration of the voices that bounced off the ground to heighten his perspective on things.

Reptil was one of the most vocal members of the Academy. He seemed to be the most willing to blab about any little detail that he heard, even if it was completely bogus.

"I heard that the Avengers are being assembled to Utopia," said the teen. "Apparently, Captain America wanted some Mutant there but Cyclops refused to hand her over. Now I heard Hawkeye talking to Quicksilver about a war that's going to happen."

"That's heavy man," said one of the students.

Joseph had to hide the urge to laugh as he saw that things were beginning to move along nicely.

* * *

In New York State, Ventus was hiding amongst her fellow Mutants at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Portraying her true self, Vanessa Valentine was amongst the many Mutant students who attended the school. She was also surrounded by the faculty members who were X-Men themselves as the school was called together for an assembly.

This felt a little disappointing to Vanessa as she zipped up her blue hoodie. She knew that there was no chance that she was going to get anything good out of this so she was on the verge of ignoring the world when she saw Logan step forward. The presence of Wolverine was enough to pull her back into reality since she knew that the part-time X-Men and part-time Avenger was not one to hold back any punches.

Didn't hurt that he was the headmaster of the school, even if his co-headmaster was Kitty Pryde. Still, Vanessa found herself hoping that there would be some delicious details that she could exploit and use to report back to Nova with. If not then she was going to have to break into the war room to find something interesting or crash into Hank McCoy's personal files.

Now that she thought about it, she felt that she might as well do all of that just for the fun of it. She liked breaking into things and going through them with her breezy fingers.

Commanding the silence of everyone in attendance, Logan began to speak before the students. "I know that some of you heard of Captain America appearing on Utopia," said the unlikely headmaster, "but I just want you to know that there is nothing bad going on. The Cap' just wants to speak to Summers about some things going on. There are some matters that concern both the X-Men and the Avengers that need to be dealt with. That is all."

He wasn't exactly one for words either, but Vanessa continued to listen to Logan even as the newly married Jean-Paul took the stage. As the Canadian speedster rambled about something that she deemed unimportant, Vanessa channeled the wind in the room to allow her to listen to what Logan was telling the blue-furred Beast.

"It ain't lookin good, Hank," said Logan. "The Avengers are bein' assembled."

"Are you going to go, Logan?" asked Hank McCoy. "I know that things between you and Scott aren't well, and your dual-status does provoke trouble with your priorities."

"So far, I just have to wait, which I hate doing," said Logan, "but these kids come first. You understand that, don't ya, Hank? You know why I brought this school back."

"Yes I do, my friend," Hank said, ending their conversation on that note.

Raising an eyebrow as she found herself hiding behind her hoodie, Vanessa could see room for error in this situation. The fact that Logan was feeling nervous about what side to take in this battle made things very interesting. Whoever got Wolverine to join them would gain a decent weapon against the opposition.

This could actually be something useful to them, which was a piece of gossip that Vanessa had been hoping to hear.

* * *

On the helicarrier, Deception was in the heart of the spy network. Disguised as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Viktor Ciora maintained the utmost caution as he was in the most dangerous situation out of all The Organization members. All it would take was a single slip up for him to fail his mission and their plans could potentially be unraveled.

But he was the Master of Illusion, something he had to remind himself of. Viktor was more than capable of doing what needed to be done as he sat the central station of the helicarrier. His computer connected him to the S.H.I.E.L.D. grid which granted him access to resources that he had never dreamed possible.

It was deliciously easy to plant the bug inside that would reveal the secrets that The Organization craved. Maintaining his silence, Viktor began the steady transmission of data so that Nova could begin deciding on what information would be useful to their agenda.

Viktor noticed that many of the agents had their attention turned to something else. This caused him to become curious as he searched for the screen that they were all looking at, which is what led him to some impressive footage of Utopia.

A confrontation between Captain America and Cyclops, the leaders of the two most powerful superhero teams in the world, were arguing. It was deliciously hilarious, but none of the agents felt the same amusement that Viktor felt. This was a little sad, but Viktor had to remember his place in this world as he maintained his air of caution.

"Director Johnson!" shouted an agent.

"I see it already," said a caramel-skinned woman.

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stepped away from her podium to examine the scene for herself. Running a hand through her short-cut hair, Daisy Johnson was not thrilled at all by what she was seeing on the monitors. The moment that Captain American turned away, calling for the Avengers to come to Utopia because Cyclops failed to relinquish Hope Summers, she knew that this was going to end badly.

"Please tell me that Agent Samuels is with the Young Avengers!" shouted the director. "I need him to be alerted to what is going on like five minutes ago. Tell him that I ordered him to make damn sure that the Young Avengers maintain their neutrality! We can't afford for more heroes going into war then absolutely necessary."

"Understood!" said a nearby agent.

Viktor really felt the urge to nibble on the information, but remembered his main objective. He focused his attention on the data scan, while making sure to keep up his vigilance on anymore information that would be prevalent.

He would just have to leave the Young Avengers to his comrade.

* * *

On rooftop that was near the Young Avengers Headquarters, Aqua watched the young heroes with a handheld telescope that broke through their technological and mystical barriers. This part of his reconnaissance mission was hopelessly boring, but it was what he had to do. Watching the Young Avengers moving about in the open would be a lot more fun to do though, that's all he was suggesting to.

Jared Salvatore sighed though as he fell back on the rooftop. He held the telescope next to him while he listened to the audio feed that he was getting from a high-tech radio that Deception and Volt had designed together. The mindless rambling of the Young Avengers was really beginning to drive him crazy. He had been listening to them go on and on about the relationship between Hawkeye and Speed.

This was not what he had signed up for when he joined The Organization.

In hindsight, Jared didn't know what to expect when he swallowed the lure. He became a fish out of water when Supernova brought him into The Organization, which was a whole new world to him.

What he needed was something that he'd have to look in a gayer neighborhood to find since his Terra wasn't around. The Earthbender really knew how to get Jared's rocks going in the bedroom, but he had to ignore all thoughts of enjoying himself when he finally got something interesting.

Listening to the feed, Jared's ears actually wiggled a little from what he just heard. It was the report that Director Johnson had sent to Landon. "Promising," Jared said, getting up from his back. He retrieved his telescope and got back to work as he aimed it at a window. "Tell me more, babies. Tell me all your secrets."

And so Jared continued his spy work, listening to what the Young Avengers had to say about all of this.

* * *

Waiting for the results of his subordinates, Supernova decided that it was time to take some measures into his own hands. The Organization has made numerous plans to deal with the world's heroes, but this was one of their most creative.

The silver-haired man wandered down the hall until he entered one of the labs. However, the lab appeared more like a bedroom, but in it resided one of The Organization's experiments. In fact, their greatest experiment lived here, she was the weapon that they were planning to unleash upon the Young Avengers.

The room was kept somewhat simple. The walls were a light gray that was barely a step above stark white. In the corner was a desk with a TV on a table beside it, while on the opposite corner was a bed that was loaded with pillows and a few stuffed animals. The room was meant to be somewhat of comfort to the girl who resided inside. Supernova did not like broken shells, their inability to think was no use at all to him.

So he checked on her, seeing the girl was sitting on the floor with a stuffed Hello Kitty in her arms. She looked hardly a day older than sixteen. Her black hair was perfectly straight that had grown to her shoulders. The hair framed her other orient features nicely with this young woman curling herself up as she looked into the face of a monster.

Dressed in a form-fitting white suit, she wasn't sure what waited for her next as she and Supernova made eye contact. She steeled her heart, anticipating him dragging her away to perform more experiments on her as he had done to her older brother and sister. Or there could be tests, which weren't as bad as the experiments. They merely forced her to her limits, not torture her on an operating table or lock her away in a tube for days.

But he was done with those experiments, he had the weapon that he wanted.

"It is time, my Avatar," smiled Supernova. "It is time for you to battle our enemies."

Unsure of what it was that he meant, Avatar knew that she would soon regret what he would make her do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Well once again guys, PLEASE start leaving some damn reviews. I'd really appreciate it. I'm serious. Reviews help motivate me to write. I'm already almost done with the next chapter too just so that might motivate you all to start writing some reviews. Well, that's all that I have to say. Enjoy.  
**

**Avatar:**

_Waking up after what should've been the greatest night of life turned out to be quite the ordeal. I refused to budge from bed since I had absolutely zero tolerance for dealing with anyone or anything at all. In fact, I just felt like blowing something up and seeing it scatter into tiny specks of nothing. _

_But that was just because I had to deal with my cock-blocking, gay-kind of-twin and his fiancé. Wow, how the fuck do I explain that one to the kids? "Sure little T, your dad is the reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch. Your Soul Uncle is gay and Jewish with the powers to make anything that come to mind a reality. So be good or else you get put into timeout". Oh yeah, that conversation was going to be fabulous._

_Great, now I'm sounding like the little homo._

_Well, I guess I could cut Billy a little slack; after all, I'm pretty invasive when it came to his personal life. How many times have I said in the past how he's out gayed himself or even how many times have I walked in on Billy about to get romantic with Teddy? Yeah, that sounds like a lot. I guess I kind of was asking for Billy catching me with Kate, but still it's not like it's any of his business._

_Like it was none of my business outing him on the whole engagement thing. Damn, what the hell is up with this whole having a guilty conscious thing? Ever since we've found…mom, well, I've been having all these thoughts about my life. But they didn't exactly belong to me. They were the feelings of Thomas Maximoff. Every time that I'm around Billy, mom, Uncle Pietro, or even Gramps, I feel that little boy clawing at my heart as he desperately craves to reclaim the family that he lost. _

_I wonder if Billy feels the same way. I know he said something along those lines to The Vision, our-kind of-father, but did he mean those words? Was William Maximoff surfacing as well, trying to feel the affection of the family that was stolen from him? Or are the both of us just so pathologically fucked up that we have no hope of functioning in this messed up word?_

_Did I just use 'pathological' properly in a sentence? Fuck, I guess I actually learned something in school._

_But I keep digressing, I just can't. I don't know how to keep myself together in this world. I don't feel like I belong sometimes. What can I say that I have besides dating Kate? I'm not like the others. I have no clear purpose or reason for belonging in the picture. _

_Kate and Billy have their families, Teddy is wanting to become a family with Billy, Landon has the whole secret agent thing going, and The Vision…Oh. The Vision. _

_Here I am having a pity part for myself when there is someone else who probably feels just as horrible about things as I do. The Vision's only purpose is to help us find more Young Avengers and to help us fight the bad guys. He lost his purpose for living though the minute that Doctor Doom killed Cassie. _

_But still, where am I in all of this? I can't really claim I have a family. That family belongs to Thomas Maximoff, not Tommy Shepherd. _

_The minute I developed my mutation, my parents didn't want me anymore. I was disowned, banished from the only home that I knew. I had no other choice but to take care of myself, to do things that I knew damn well were wrong but they had to be done just to survive. And that's how I ended up in the juvie, under maximum security, and experimented on to perfect some weapons that those scientists were working on._

_I can't even remember what it was about though…so much of those months are a blur to me now. I remember being in pain and I could see the occasional face, but most of that was a haze except for the occasional flash of silver hair. Other than that, I had on memory of my time in juvie. I didn't have a real thought until the Young Avengers broke me out of that hell and made me one of them…_

_So I suppose that's the one thing that I have that I can claim as my own. I am a Young Avenger, I am Speed. I don't have to be anything else if I don't want to._

_But I still want to be something more…I want a life that I can truly call my own...I want to have a family, even if it sounds like it makes me weak. I just want to be able to say that I have a real one. _

* * *

It wasn't a surprise to find Billy waiting for him on his bed.

After an exhilarating shower to wake him up, Tommy returned to bedroom to discover the very boy he was thinking of waiting on him. This habit that they had was getting a little weird with Tommy pretty much being naked and Billy in the room with him. Tommy wasn't exactly sure how Billy felt about the whole incest thing, but Tommy didn't find it thrilling one bit.

"Do you like not understand the concept of privacy?" Tommy asked as he grabbed his clothes. "I thought nerdy, gay, Jewish teens were all about privacy." He got dressed in rather simple looking clothes before walking towards his mirror to begin fix his messy head. "You don't seem to respect mine even the slightest, little witch."

The whole time that he had spoken, Tommy refused to look Billy in the eye. That's always when it hurt the most. Making eye contact with Billy always led to an ache in Tommy's chest, one that he refused to let himself fall victim to. It would be the beginning of the end of his sanity if Tommy had allowed it; he couldn't let Thomas Maximoff get the better of him.

Still that didn't mean Billy felt the same when it came to William.

"Why didn't you tell me about you and Kate?" Billy said from the bed. "I thought you and I were closer than that."

Tommy shrugged as he finished combing his head, now preparing to apply some gel. "I guess you were wrong then," the speedster said, simply. He kept going through his things to finish getting ready for the day, while continuing to refuse to look at Billy. But he didn't have to look to see just how deep he had cut the young mage. The silence was enough proof of that.

For the longest time, there was only silence in the bedroom. Neither one of them made an effort to speak, which was fine for Tommy. It kept him a little saner for a couple more minutes out of the day. He could already feel the walls in his head were safely intact now that Thomas was scratching at them.

But it couldn't stay that way, not when his brother was Billy Kaplan.

Dismissing his self-conscious tendencies, Billy stubbornly stormed across the room until he was finally face to face with his brother. Tommy's eyes met Billy's which meant the death of him. He could already feel the walls being torn apart and the pressure could only grow more intense as they faced each other. The mage locked Tommy to the ground with his magic, making sure that they were going to hash it out one way or another.

Billy looked positively furious and annoyed with Tommy at the moment. His magic reflected that as he held his brother there with a firm grip. "What the hell is your problem with me?" asked Billy. "I do not get you, Tommy. One minute, you're acting super brotherly to me then the next you act like I'm carrying the bubonic plague. Seriously, is it something that I do or say that so greatly offends you that I'm just completely unaware of?"

"It's not your fault," Tommy said, feeling Billy's spell gripping his ankles.

"Then what is it?" asked Billy. "Please Tommy, tell me what it is that I'm doing that upsets you."

Tommy felt the scratching only getting deeper as he spent more time around Billy, alone like this. He had to find a way to break Billy's concentration, not to mention, defuse that temper that was brewing if he was going to end it all. "It's nothing you can fix, Billy," said Tommy. "I can't give into Thomas Maximoff or else I'll end up losing myself."

Confused by this confession, the spell had laxed beyond the point of sustainability. Billy's focus was gone as he tried to process what it was that Tommy just said.

"Thomas?" whispered Billy.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Tommy asked. "You can feel William Maximoff scratching into your head whenever the two of us are alone together that's when they're the most active. I can feel myself fading." Feeling his body shaking by this, Tommy couldn't understand why he was freaking out. But he noticed that even Billy looked equally as frightened by his words. "Ever since we found our proof that Wanda is our mother, every time I'm around you I can feel Thomas Maximoff trying to surface."

Billy touched his own heart, feeling what it was that Tommy described but it wasn't so serve for him. In fact, the presence of William Maximoff just reminded him of what he had in his life and strengthened his connection to those that he loved. "Do you really think that you're losing yourself?" said Billy. "Thomas is a part of you just like William is a part of me. Our lives our entangled together because of this. We are brothers tied together not by blood but by our souls."

"That's just it, Billy!" shouted Tommy. "We're not brothers. We're not a real family; it's just magic that is fucking with our heads!" His own anger was starting to get the best of him as he tried to make himself frightening to Billy by pushing throwing his weight. "I had a family and they sucked, I have to accept that. I have to live with that every day." At this point, tears wanted to form but Tommy refused to allow them. He refused to show anymore of his weakness today, no more then what was necessary. "I won't let myself be tricked by another family pretending to let me in with open arms only to shut me out when they're through with me!"

Unable to react to his words, Billy could only watch as Tommy ran out of his room in blinding speed. Thinking about what had just happened made Billy believe that he was seeing the real Tommy Shepherd, and he was indeed part of Thomas Maximoff whether he liked that or not.

* * *

Away from the Young Avengers headquarters, Landon brought some of his teammates over to his loft in order to discuss some things that had been bothering him. The twins were M.I.A. at the moment so Kate, Teddy, and the Vision were the only ones who had to listen to what it was that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent had to say.

Last night, they had already reviewed the message that had been sent by Director Johnson. Hearing what was happening at Utopia could only affirm what they had all been afraid of. A second superhero had begun, which meant that the Young Avengers needed to run defensive plays to minimize the collateral damage.

That was partly why they were here today.

Landon brought a tray of coffee for his teammates, even one for The Vision, as he attempted to fill them in on the updates that he had received. They weren't much, but it would be senseless to leave his team in the dark considering just what was brewing. "Utopia could end up a warzone if the tension between the X-Men and Avengers isn't swiftly dealt with," said Landon. "The Avengers are already present; the data says that a fight has already begun to break out."

"Well that isn't good," Kate said, pouring sugar into her coffee. "Do we have any idea how many Avengers are present on Utopia or anything on the X-Men too? Is there any evidence that San Francisco might get hit by the whiplash of the fighting?"

"I'm not certain who all is present, but it could get nasty if they don't maintain control," said Landon. "If they go to war then it will get bloody."

Teddy shook his head as he looked over at the agent with his coffee cupped between his hands. The head didn't bother him one bit as his Kree-Skrull blood insulated it comfortably for him. "I highly doubt that Captain American and Cyclops will let things get too out of hand," said Teddy. "Besides, neither one wants to risk getting civilians dragged into all of this. It wouldn't help their causes at all."

"The Avengers have only been legally sanctioned by the government for two years now," added The Vision, "and there is still anti-mutant hysteria that would only hurt the X-Men. They both have so much to lose if this civil war continues longer then it absolutely has to."

"But it all comes down to the Phoenix Force," stated Kate. "The Avengers and the X-Men want to deal with the Phoenix by defeat means, am I right?"

Landon nodded his head as he got up from the chair that he had been sitting on. He grabbed some notes that he had out, which he showed to the rest of his teammates so they could get a look on the information that S.H.I.E.L.D. had on the Phoenix. "A force of destruction and rebirth," said Landon, "that is the Phoenix Force. Without a doubt, the X-Men believe that they can use the Phoenix to reverse the Scarlet Witch's spell as they've used the Phoenix's powers to change the past before. However, the Avengers fear that the Phoenix has come to the Earth as a symbol of destruction and that the X-Men will only jeopardize the safety of everyone on the planet."

Picking up one of the files, Kate saw the picture of a young girl surrounded by four other teenagers. Teddy noticed this as well when he saw that the girl was named Hope Summers. The Vision informed the team about Hope Summers being the Mutant Messiah and a potential vessel for the Phoenix Force.

"Like Jean Grey," added Landon, "Hope Summers has remarkable potential. Her powers to copy other mutant abilities makes her unique and the fact that she was born after M-Day has made the mutant population believe that she is the source of salvation. Even Director Johnson believes that Hope might be able to reverse some of the damage done by M-Day, but considering what happened to Jean Grey…we're less than optimistic about that."

"What happened to Jean Grey?" asked Teddy.

"She sacrificed her spirit to repel the Phoenix from destroying the Earth," Landon said, simply. "Her actions saved the world, but it came with the ultimate price. With her spirit gone, there is no chance that she can ever return to the physical world. No magic, no science, and no mutant power can ever restore Jean Grey. And that is why we're worried about Hope Summers; we fear the price that the Phoenix will lead her to make."

Somber by his words, Kate felt her chest ache as she placed her cup on the table. She wanted nothing to do with the caffeine at the moment, wanting to process all of this.

Teddy and The Vision both kept silent as well as they kept their thoughts to themselves. Calculating things from a scientific perspective, The Vision could see the potential consequences that might arise for Hope Summers. The danger that came from the Phoenix Force was nearly as infinite as the immortal creature's existence. For Teddy, he thought about Billy's own powers and the price that came with them. Hope Summers was in situation that was just as dangerous as Billy had been in a year ago, more so since this was the Phoenix after all. But then there was this demonic force that Billy had a premonition about alongside the return of the Phoenix Force.

"Something's coming," Teddy said, quietly. "The Phoenix is only the beginning of something far worse."

The Vision heard him and agreed as he looked out the window to see the city. For now, everything was at peace but that would not last for much longer. "The question then becomes what are we facing and who will be responsible for unleashing it," said The Vision. "Our trials have yet to come; we must stand strong if we are to survive the coming storm."

* * *

The time to make their first move against their enemies was now.

The six members of the Organization had gathered to their lair to make their first move. It was time to unleash their weapon against the world with their primary focus being the Young Avengers. With the true heroes of the world at war against each other, the next generation of heroes was the only ones standing in their way.

But Supernova felt exceptionally threatened by the Young Avengers, more so then the rest of The Organization. The reason why was something that he would keep to himself for the time being. What their group needed to focus on was disposing of their enemies by using the weapon that they had spent years grooming.

And there she was, the beautiful Avatar.

Suffering in silence, she stood still as The Organization examined her thoroughly. With the immediate check of her health done, it was time to outfit her for battle. Volt and Ventus dressed her clothes that belonged to The Organization. Her suit was all in black, form-fitted to show off every curve and muscle, and covering her face was a black hood.

Deception stood before Avatar, using his powers to peak into her mind. He reinforced The Organization's hold on her in order to suppress her freewill so that she would remain a loyal tool for them. Avatar stared at him blankly and almost couldn't feel Deception violating her final sanctuary on behalf of Supernova's intentions and their unknown master. She was oblivious to everything that they were planning, but she knew that they were about to use her for something horrible.

"It is done," Deception said, turning away from her.

Supernova smiled as Terra and Aqua remained close to their leader. Aqua pulled himself free as he took the time to check Avatar out for himself as his secondary powers gave him brief flashes of foresight.

Touching Avatar's arm for a moment, Aqua could see what the immediate future had in store. He tilted Avatar's head up with his index finger so that he would pay attention to what he had to say. "Caution, young one," said the water-bender. "Fight hard, but do not fall for their tricks. Always remain two steps ahead of your foes or else they will defeat you instead of you defeating them."

"Who is my enemy?" mumbled Avatar.

"The Young Avengers," Supernova said, approaching his weapon. A smile graced the devil's face as he stood beside her as Volt pulled up the images of the heroes. He took the time to brief Avatar on the Young Avengers and their abilities. "Always keep your guard up. If you have an opportunity to kill any of them, I want you to take out the witch." Leaning closer towards Avatar as an image of Wiccan stayed frozen on the screen, he made his point to her. "He is your top target. Dispose of him now if you can."

If she had any control over her body then she would've refused Supernova and the rest of The Organization. But the spell that they had over her was too powerful to resists, which made her an unwilling host to their plots.

"As you command, sir."

* * *

Walking down a lonely street, Teddy held onto Billy's hand as he listened to what his magical fiancé had to say about his twin. It was obvious to tell that Billy was upset by what Tommy said to him, but Teddy couldn't help but to feel bad for the little cock-blocker too.

Teddy could remember what it felt like when he found out his alien ancestry. His father was the Kree soldier and Avenger, Captain Mar-vell, while his mother was the Skrull Princess Anelle, two alien species that have been at war for generations. It was just as bad if not worse than Billy and Tommy's own mystical heritage. There was too much room for debate one who was more messed up.

"I really don't know what to do about him," Billy said, throwing his head back to look up to the twilight sky. He squeezed onto his boyfriend's hand, tighter, as they continued to walk down the New York street. "Tommy is just so bipolar sometimes. One minute we're like best friends then he treats me like his arch-nemesis. It's so frustrating."

Noting just how upset Billy looked, Teddy started to squeeze Billy's hand back. He pulled himself closer to his boyfriend as he attempted to reason with him. "You know that this hasn't been easy on Tommy. I live with the guy, I know just how hard this is for him to accept," advocated Teddy. "He's spent years being on his own and now he's found out that he is the reincarnated son of an Avenger and that he has a twin brother. It's a lot to swallow. Remember how fucked up I was during my Kree-Skrull family reunion? I still have trouble accepting the fact that I'm an alien."

There was no denying that one.

Teddy still had issues with the facts of his life. He wasn't human, well; he wasn't an Earthling to be more exact. He was mortal, flesh and bone, but that is where the similarities ended there. He figured that's why things worked so well between him and Billy, they were both beyond human.

Where he was an alien, Billy was a magical construct to comfort a childless woman. Now look at him, he has a true soul and a life of his own.

They were almost like two peas in a pod, from Teddy's logic.

Now, Billy wasn't thinking about that, at least not exactly.

The mage did take the time to think about how Tommy was probably processing all of this. He had to admit that he was ready to jump at the opportunity to be the son of the Scarlet Witch, while Tommy had been apprehensive about it. Even after they had proven that they were in fact her sons, Tommy still had trouble accepting the truth as he fought between the facts.

And now he understood why after their talk.

Tommy felt like he was losing himself, which frightened him to no end. Part of the blame fell on his own troubled upbringing and the other part had to deal with the trauma of their deaths. Being devoured by a demon left its scars on their souls, which were barely closed up only after Wanda had used the powers of the LifeForce.

It astonished Billy just how insensitive he was to Tommy's feelings. Considering he was supposed to be the sensitive one, Billy failed to see just how troubled Tommy was about their changing lives. Of course Billy didn't have any trouble with a growing family because he had already come from a big family, and a very loving/supportive one at that.

"I'm a big, fat asshole," Billy said, throwing his back against a nearby building. The young mage looked at his fiancé who could only crack a smile at him. "I'm having an epiphany and you're laughing at me? Seriously, Teddy Bear! I just realized how psychologically terrified Tommy is of us being brothers and you find that to be hilarious?"

Reclaiming his composure, Teddy honestly felt guilty about laughing at his love. He approached his boyfriend who luckily didn't push him away as he got closer. "Forgive me, Billy Goat," chuckled Teddy. "I know how important it is to you that you and Tommy get along. I'm just surprised that it took you this long to realize that, considering everything he's said about you, Wanda, Quicksilver, and Magneto."

"We do have a messy family," Billy said, softly mumbling that out loud. "I still haven't quite swallowed the fact that Magneto is, spiritually, our grandfather. My grandpa is a former terrorist and now a member of the X-Men."

"Strange chain of events, I say," Teddy said, nudging his face against his boyfriend's chin. He felt Billy crack a smile for a moment just before their lips came into contact for a blissful moment between them. Billy's hands found Teddy's hand, which locked together by a strong grip as the two pressed their bodies closer together.

Lucky for them that there was nobody out on the street right now or else they just might get yelled at. Not like either one really cared since they were both over the homophobia thing.

Teddy was the first to pull away as he tilted his head forward until their foreheads touched. He started to rub his nose against Billy's nose, which caused them both to feel little tingles. "You know," said Teddy, "I almost miss that stumble on your face. It was kind of sexy."

"Maybe I should grow out a beard then," laughed Billy. "It'll be patchy for a longtime though. I think you should grow one out instead. I won't be able to keep my lips off of you if you have one."

Grinning like a madman, Teddy got Billy to look him in the eyes as he sent a devilish look his way. "Never suggest a change in appearance to a shape-shifter, my dear," Teddy said before leaning in for a second kiss.

A kiss that was just as glorious as the first one.

Billy was on his toes at this point, partly because he wanted to keep their bodies closer together and partly because he had a tall boyfriend. Either way, it felt very appropriate to be such intimately close to his future husband.

Considering the war that was brewing that had everyone huffing smoke, moments like these would become few and precious.

This time, Billy would be the one who ended the kiss as he pried himself away from his lover. They were both grinning from ear to ear as they continued to hold onto one another as the sun was busy setting over their heads.

It was a beautiful way to end a not so great day. However, this moment of contentment would come to a crashing halt as their phones began to go off at the same time.

Upon answering, they would see just why.

"Avengers Assemble!" came Kate's voice. "Trouble by Brooklyn Bridge."

Turning to each other, Teddy and Billy knew that they were going into a rumble today. It wasn't exactly how they wanted to end the day, but duty was calling them to suit up.

And the two of them were ready to respond for battle.

* * *

Hawkeye, Turquoise Boy, and The Vision were the first to arrive to the scene. They ran through the crowd of people who were evacuating the Brooklyn Bridge. Cars, taxis, and buses had been left behind as people tried to hurry and get away from the explosions that were coming from the center of the bridge.

A second chain of explosions went off that nearly threw the three of them off their balance. The Vision responded quickly by grabbing onto his two teammates and brought them up to the air to avoid the ripples. Hawkeye told the Synthazoid to fly them closer to the source of the attack so that they could put an end to it.

The Vision followed the orders and they quickly made it to their destination. They landed on the cement road just to see that the attack was coming from a lone source. A violent aura covered her arms as she turned her head, slowly, to gaze upon her enemies.

"It's a girl," Hawkeye said, sounding a little astonished.

"Don't underestimate her," Turquoise Boy said, arming himself with a gun. "If she's causing this much panic then she must be powerful."

"I concur," added The Vision. "We must be cautious, Hawkeye."

She agreed as she armed herself with her bow and selected an arrow to use against their mysterious enemy.

Avatar tightened her fists up as she sprung after the Young Avengers without showing the slightest hint of hesitation. This startled the team, but they soon recovered with Hawkeye releasing her arrow as Turquoise Boy shot her. The arrow and bullets bounced off of the girl as she threw her fist at The Vision's face. The impact of the blow was powerful enough to send The Vision sailing across the road until he crashed in a nearby taxi.

Hawkeye called out for her teammate just as Turquoise Boy went after their enemy.

The agent used his training to his advantage as he took her on directly. He threw his body at her, using everything he had as a weapon against this mysterious girl. Avatar, however, was quicker than he had originally anticipated and much stronger. Without much effort, he was able to catch and counter his attacks.

Avatar grabbed Turquoise Boy's fists and spread his arms apart before smashing him in the face with her head. This easily caused the agent to be lost in a haze before she released him to smash the back of her heel against his chest.

With one Avenger down, Avatar spotted Hawkeye aiming her arrow at her. The explosive arrow flew straight towards her, which Avatar would easily be able to handle. Throwing her leg up into the air, Avatar was able to kick the arrow away from her without triggering the explosive element of it. The arrow spun around in the air until it crashed against one of the steel cables, causing it to snap and the bridge to lose some of its suspension.

Hawkeye dropped to her knees as The Vision returned to her side.

"I recommend that you avoid using your arrows," said The Vision. "If too many cables are broken then the bridge sinks."

"Just thought of that," Hawkeye said, throwing her bow and bundle of arrows to the ground. She flipped open a strap on her leg to retrieve a knife that she had in there. "I guess I'm going to have to think a little outside the box."

The Vision attempted to go after Avatar before Hawkeye did, but they were both interrupted by a blur.

The blur sped passed them and stopped only inches in front of Avatar. Speed could clearly be seen now as he tried to pummel their opponent with a hundred punches at once. However, Avatar proved to be superior as she easily avoided each one until Speed could only tired himself out as he tried to hit her with the last punch.

Catching his fist, Avatar briefly smiled at Speed before tossing him aside. The newly arrived Speedster crashed against the edge of the bridge with his back coming into contact with steel. It hurt a little like hell, but at least nothing broke.

"Little, crazy bitch!" spat Speed. "You're gonna regret that."

Avatar turned to him just as he raised his hands up into the air. Speed gathered the molecules around her before accelerating them to the point of the combustion. The moment the explosion went off, the team thought that the fight might be over as the explosion went off right in front of her.

Instead, all Speed did was make their enemy stronger. As the smoke cleared, an intense aura covered Avatar from head to toe as she glared angrily at the speedster.

Having absorbed his attack, Avatar threw her arms up in the air to gather the energy into an explosive sphere. She pointed her hand at Speed and fired the explosive energy at him, which would very well be the end of him. The Vision, Turquoise Boy, nor Hawkeye could do anything to save him from this range, which meant that Speed was doomed.

Speed felt his chest tightened as he attempted to cover himself from the attack when he felt nothing come. Instead, he just felt heat spreading all around him, which caused him to drop his arms and look forward to see a body in front of him mixed with a blur aura.

"Billy," Speed said, softly.

Wiccan unleashed a powerful barrier to repel Avatar's attack which took an intense amount of concentration on his part. The blue aura rippled off of his body as he kept his spell strong so that they both wouldn't end up vaporized as a result. "You really have to stop eating your Wheeties, big brother!" laughed Wiccan. "Your powers are getting a little too strong."

Feeling like a jerk for what happened earlier; Speed thanked his brother for rescuing him just as the attack ended. Wiccan nearly dropped right there from exhaustion but Speed came to his aid this time and helped support his brother. Wiccan smiled as he straightened himself out, pleased that Speed's attitude was finally getting under check.

The twins turned back to Avatar who looked like she was gearing up for a second attack. But before she could strike, Hulkling swooped in to strike her with a broken, steel beam that he found.

Avatar sailed across the road until she crashed on top of the roof of a car. The glass crunched at her feet, while her back ached against the metal underneath her. The hood of her jacket fell to reveal her face as her hair began to untangle itself from its bun.

Surprised by how young she looked, Hulkling was caught off guard as Avatar recovered from the attack at remarkable speed. Avatar burst forth from the car and flew after Hulkling until she could latch onto him with her hands. Once he was hers, she used her strength to lift Hulkling up as she steered them towards a bus. His mass caused the bus to break apart from one end to the other with Avatar showing no signs of relenting.

Until they were finally out of the bus just seconds before it blew up from a destroyed engine, Avatar threw Hulkling down to the ground to suffer from his injuries.

Wiccan immediately tried to run after his boyfriend only to be denied this as Avatar set her sights on him. She still had traces of Speed's explosive energy in her system so she was successfully able to hurl a blast of photonic energy at the mage. A shield quickly went up to protect Wiccan from the attack, but this only suited to anger the mage as he turned his attention to his boyfriend's attacker.

Gathering his magic, Wiccan wasted no time in hurling a blast of blue magic after Avatar. His attack crashed against her, washing over her like a wave, but her own aura protected her from the bulk of the spell. For a second though, Avatar felt a bit of pain that faded away in almost no time as she started to glow with yellow energy. Avatar laughed as she hurled the energy behind Wiccan's spells right back at him, firing an intense blast from her hands.

Speed pulled Wiccan away this time just as a section of the bridge blew up upon impact. Luckily it wasn't enough damage to make the bridge unstable, but it went to show just how powerful Avatar could become.

Hiding some ways away, Turquoise Boy got back into his debut fight as he pulled Hawkeye away from the attacking girl. The Vision attempted to use his abilities to tire Avatar out as he made himself intangible, while the two of them strategized.

"She can clearly absorb energy," said Turquoise Boy. "Her ability is almost Kree-like in that sense."

"Do you think she is one?" Hawkeye asked as Wiccan reached Hulkling.

The both looked back at the battle to see that Speed was attempting to assist The Vision, while Wiccan healed Hulkling. The moment that he was back up on his feet, Hulkling raced off to fight Avatar with Wiccan flying behind him.

"Oddly enough, I doubt that," said Turquoise Boy. "There is something different about her, but I just can't figure it out." He reached towards his back to pull out a second gun with some ammunition. He handed them over to Hawkeye as he went to grab his own gun that had landed nearby. "Speed and Wiccan's powers are too dangerous since she can absorb the energy; we have to rely on hand-to-hand combat if we're going to stop her."

"Let's just pray she isn't as indestructible as she seems," said Hawkeye. "I haven't seen too many people who can knock Hulkling around like he weighed as much as a kitten. We can't get too risky."

"Agreed," Turquoise Boy said as he cocked the trigger.

Hawkeye did the same as they both ran back into battle to assist their friends.

The Young Avengers did everything that they could to battle Avatar, but since they knew virtually nothing about her that proved difficult. Every time that she would display a new ability, The Vision would quickly scan her potential to inform the rest of his teammates of the danger that she presented. So far she was limited to superhuman strength, speed, flight, near invulnerability, energy absorption, and energy projection.

It was a long list that made her a dangerous opponent, especially her last two abilities. Wiccan couldn't use his spells against her and Speed dared not to try to blow her up again. She was much too powerful for their abilities so the battle was limiting their individual skills.

The Vision attempted to disrupt Avatar's cognition by shocking her with some electrical surges. This proved less than successful as Avatar was able to withstand the pain so she could grab The Vision from behind her and drive him down to the ground. He was badly damaged upon impact with some of his armor being cracked and partly exposed to sensitivity.

Hulkling didn't fare much better the second time around either. He would try to pummel Avatar, but she was smaller and more agile so she was in control of their dance. Avatar flew backward in the air, avoiding an incoming punch before rotating around to strike her leg against his face. With his airborne balance lost, Avatar was able to take him down by releasing a blast of energy that she had absorbed from Wiccan's last spell.

Hawkeye and Turquoise Boy tried to gun her down with their bullets, but they were practically useless against her. Avatar swooped in to land between them, which prompted the duo to take her own directly. They used their martial arts skills to fend her off as they caused her to step back to avoid getting hit. The duo used every move that they knew, but Avatar was still better than they were as she dove between the two of them to knock them with a sharp blow that took them out of the fight.

Not wanting this to go any further, Speed and Wiccan came in to back their friends up. They gave up on the whole not hitting her with their powers deal as they decided that if they worked that they could overwhelm her. It was a solid theory, but their bad luck meant that it wouldn't work, not even one bit.

Speed accelerated molecules and Wiccan unleashed a ball of magic, both of which managed to strike Avatar down. However, she stayed strong as she absorbed their powers and ascended up into the air. Her aura erupted as she unleashed the energy that she had gathered to shake the entire bridge with a band of energy that went from one burrow to the next.

The ripple caused the water to spread as well as knock the Young Avengers with car alarms buzzing like crazy after them.

The glorious prowess displayed by their Avatar was simply astonishing to the members of The Organization. Supernova was especially pleased to see how well their experiment was performing as she easily decimated the Young Avengers in combat.

Avatar show now mercy for her adversaries as she continued her attack against the young heroes.

It was only the beginning though of a greater scheme. Avatar's actions were only scratching away at the seals that kept their master away from this reality.

* * *

Gazing at the screen, Supernova found the plague that had the power to ruin their plans. He spotted Wiccan attempting to repel one of Avatar's attacks only to prove himself to be a failure as his concentration was broken. This only brought joy to Supernova as he could tell that the boy failed to see his real power, which would only lead to certain death for him. So long as Wiccan was oblivious to the magic contained within his body then everything could continue to go according to plan.

This hadn't gone unnoticed by Aqua though as he watched their leader. He had always held suspicions of Supernova, even after the man had recruited him into The Organization with such open arms. From his own life experiences, Aqua knew better then to trust a man like him. The friendlier and more charismatic they were, the eviler the man truly was.

For now, Aqua would keep his theories to himself. He returned his attention to the monitor, watching Avatar's battle against the Young Avengers. The current image displayed Hulkling protecting Wiccan from an attack since Speed nor The Vision were close enough, while Hawkeye and Turquoise Boy attempted to disarm Avatar.

Seeing how bravely Hulkling protected Wiccan made Aqua think about Terra. He questioned the earth-bender's love for him as he continued to think back on his own life.

But all of those concerns would have to wait until another day. They first needed to get through this one, which it seemed that the Young Avengers would not make it through at this rate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey everyone, I hope you guys are liking the story. I've been getting some favorites and alerts, but I'm not getting many reviews or messages so I'm not sure how well you like it. So start leaving some reviews. You don't have to say that my writing is great, constructive criticsim is always welcomed. I want to know what you all want to see more of and what I need improving on. So that's it. Read and review!  
**

**A MARVELous Mess:**

_Every part of me was aching as I struggled to get back on my feet after she hit the city with that energy wave._

_My knees were shaking and my vision was getting a little blurry, but I had trained for situations like this. S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to make me powerful enough to deal with the pain so that I could focus on the mission at hand. I had to bring this super girl down before she used even more of her power to level the city._

_But how though? How could I stand a chance against someone so powerful?_

_There was a reason why the average person were so afraid of those with superpowers, there was no competing against them. I can see why the Superhero Registration Act was so to becoming successful because it recognized a lot of fears. But that was beside the point. The Civil War was not what was happening right now, at least in our situation._

_This girl was beyond powerful. She wielded abilities that none of our powers or skills could possibly counter against. Hawkeye and I can barely get anywhere near here, Hulkling was just a human battering ram, The Vision was unable to do much, and the twins were hardly fairing any better with their powers cancelled out. _

_Wiccan and Speed's last attack proved just how affective the girl was at absorbing their powers. She nearly broke the bridge with that last wave of energy; if she hadn't flown so high into the air then we'd all be drowning in the river. _

_I tried to keep my head again, I really am trying, but it's not easy._

_The pressure of the fight and the closeness we are to getting killed is too prevalent. On more than one occasion, I've seen my life flash before my eyes. I've remembered the struggles my family went through, I saw my dad becoming an Agent, and I saw myself going through training with Natasha Romanoff. As I remembered my mentor, I knew that I had to think more like her; I needed to be more like the Black Widow if I was going to pull them out of this._

_But I couldn't just abandon myself in the process. I had to keep calm and think with a clear head or else this girl was going to succeed in killing us all._

_At this rate, death is a likely reality that we were just going to have to deal with. However, I was refusing to go down without at least taking this mystery girl with us. I could at least tell that she wasn't acting on her own. She wasn't just some girl or mutant or whatever who was running around, out of control over her own powers. No, there was somebody manipulating her, forcing her to do its biding. _

_The puppeteer was hoping to kill the Young Avengers from what I can tell by just seeing how brutally she fought us. I wasn't about to let the puppet master to get what it wanted so I needed to think outside of the box to take Supergirl down a peg before she killed us all._

_Just how we were going to pull that one off, I wasn't quite sure yet. I do have something brewing in my head though so I'll hopefully come up with something concrete before she can blow us all up. For now, I just need to hold my own and make sure my teammates don't get killed as a result of our enemy's powers. _

_Stand strong, Agent Samuels, do not cower. _

* * *

Kids should've made a song about Brooklyn Bridge falling down instead of London Bridge. At the rate that Avatar was mopping the floor with the Young Avengers, it was only a matter of time before the entire thing collapsed under the strain of battle. It was a miracle that the Young Avengers weren't already swimming with the fishes as they tried to regain their bearings.

None of them were able to do much against Avatar, however. At this point, Avatar was virtually unstoppable and she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

Speed had gotten roughed up during her last assault. He tried to beat her with what felt like a hundred rapid punches that proved ineffective. He couldn't even get one of his fists to connect with his foe, but she was able to knock him out from only one punch. If he were still conscious then he'd go on about how his pride had been injured by the super powered girl.

The rest of his team wasn't fairing much better than he was. Hawkeye was half-dazed as her body was growing worn out from all the fighting. The Vision's circuits had gone wild from stress as he tried and failed to subdue their adversary. Even Hulkling's stamina was nearly gone as his own strength and powers were proved inferior against Avatar.

Turquoise Boy and Wiccan were barely hanging on by a thread as they stood before Avatar. The rest of their team was completely off to the side, attempting to recover from the previous round of fighting that had occurred. As for the two of them, they had to find out something a little more concrete to deal with her.

Waiting for Avatar to make a move, the boys tried to take that moment of pause to recollect themselves. If she were to fight at full strength then they'd need every ounce of muscle and willpower that they could muster up.

"I don't think we're gonna last much longer," huffed Wiccan.

"Try and think positively," stressed Turquoise Boy. "She has to have a weakness that we can exploit."

"Short of pulling out her batteries, I got nothing," replied the mage.

Avatar remained perfectly still as she listened to them rant on about her. She knew her orders was to take execute the mage, but her own sense of morality and conscious was still present enough to offer some resistance.

While she stood there, she couldn't possibly understand why The Organization would want to kill him. Other than being a bitty mouthy, Wiccan seemed like a good person. She could tell that the Young Avengers were not supposed to be her enemy, but The Organization's corruption was running in contrary to her.

Turquoise Boy noticed this bit of hesitation as he started to take some steps away from his teammate. He could sense that she wasn't exhausted, she was merely conflicted. Perhaps she wasn't really their enemy after all, he thought to himself. As he thought about this, he began to see that she was merely following orders.

But the agent wasn't sure just how much of this attack was under her own freewill. That was going to be the harder question to answer.

For now though, they had to do something to put her down, at least for the moment.

"Her focus is on us, right?" Turquoise Boy said to Wiccan.

"Yeah," said the mage, "do you have an idea?"

"We're going to have to regroup," the agent said, simply. "There is no way we can continue this battle without risking to many people." He placed a hand on the side of his leg to retrieve something from the pocket. Since Avatar wasn't noticing him, just Wiccan, the agent took the liberty of retrieving his toy. "I'll distract her; I need you to get us out of here."

Wiccan noticed something in his comrade's hand, which he really hoped would get them out of this sticky situation. He turned his attention back to Avatar who he noticed was gathering photonic energy in her hands and that was not a good sign.

Gulping down the urge to hurl, the mage tried to focus on a teleportation spell just when Avatar lashed out against him. Wiccan quickly changed his spell into something a little more on the defensive. At the drop of a dime, he projected a shield that withstood the damage of Avatar's attack and even succeeded in brushing some of the energy off to the side.

Turquoise Boy didn't exactly want it to turn out like this, but he took advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself to him. He tossed the rectangular explosive in his hand and triggered it before throwing it after Avatar. As the bomb was counting down, the agent turned to Wiccan to use the teleportation spell.

This was an easier spell for Wiccan as he had been doing teleportation for years now. The first sign that the spell was working was the fact that Wiccan's eyes were glowing blue. As the explosive went off in front of Avatar, which she absorbed through her powers, Wiccan had his arms up in the air to gather the energy that Avatar had released earlier. He took the trick that he learned from The Vision to amplify the speed and power of his teleportation spell.

Almost instantly, Wiccan's spell was a success as it transported all of the Young Avengers away from Brooklyn Bridge.

With the superheroes vanishing, Avatar had just emerged from the flames of the explosion. Her powers allowed her to absorb the energy released from the explosion and her tough exterior made it so that the flames did not hurt her. Still there was not soot on her youthful skin with her hair in disarray from the fighting and her clothes slightly torn.

Avatar looked around the deserted bridge to see that the Young Avengers were indeed gone. Her mind was present, which allowed her to feel a great deal of relief that the fight was over. It didn't mean the end of a war, but at least today was done with despite the fact that she knew that Supernova was going to force her into another battle.

That was the burden she would have to pay due to The Organization owning her.

Before Avatar could even contemplate the thought of escape, The Organization's powers reached her. The powerful girl felt the dark influence touching her body as it pulled her away from her current location by teleporting her to The Organization lair to discuss her debut battle.

* * *

Surely, the Young Avengers would have a similar discussion from the safety of their own headquarters.

A burst of magic flashed inside their base as the Young Avengers were brought their by Wiccan's spell. It came and went quickly enough with each one dropping down in exhaustion from their fight against Avatar.

Billy made sure that his spell brought him to the couch where he comfortably landed with his head on a pillow. Teddy landed on the ground beside his partner, while The Vision and Landon were sent across the building. Kate landed on a recliner and Tommy fell on the table, managing not to break it as he closed his eyes to groan about his pain.

They were all groaning about how that battle was exceptionally terrible.

"I thought the Dark Avengers and Young Masters were a bitch," Tommy said with a huff.

"I still put the Kree-Skrull Jamboree at the top of the list," Teddy countered.

Tommy agreed as he thought back to his first battle. It was just as rough as this one, but the difference was that they were facing a small army of aliens. This time around, they were up against one super powered girl that was virtually invincible.

That was a bit of a blow to his pride, especially how she would always be easily able to beat him back with her superior strength.

It was brutal for all of them to bear. But now that they were far away from her, the team had to come up with a way to deal with her since there was going to be a second round. Billy, Teddy, and Tommy left that bit of brain power to the others as they stayed were they were, unable and unwilling to budge an inch.

Not that Kate was exactly thrilled to prop herself up from the recliner. Her back ached as she tried to move thanks to a nasty blow that Avatar hit her with during the fight. It was around the same time that she lost her sword, which Billy had luckily brought with them.

The Vision was the quickest one to show any signs of bouncing back as he hooked himself up to the central computer. Already, he used the electrical impulses to help aid in his recovery, while the rest of his team was left out in the cold.

"Uhhhh!" Teddy, Tommy, Kate, and Landon cried out at once.

Billy took the hint as he attempted to pull himself back together. The mage was already beyond exhausted as he was well aware what they wanted him to do for them. "I just want you all to know that I hate you guys right now," said the young mage. Channeling the power through his body, Billy once more start to cast a spell despite the level of exhaustion he felt. "You'd better appreciate this. IWantUsToBeHealed. IWantUsToBeHealed. IWantUsToBeHealed."

Repeating the words a few more times, the magic would eventually escape from Billy's body as it spread to the mortals in the room. It was almost instantaneous that their wounds were healed and any potential injuries were repaired before they became critical. The only thing that Billy's spell couldn't do was cure them of their exhaustion.

Almost immediately after the spell ended, Billy fell back down on the couch with his eyes fluttering to remain open. He sighed softly as he felt Teddy come up from the ground and crawl onto the couch with him. He welcomed that warmth and comfort as they curled up to each other.

Tommy picked his head up from the table, yawning as he looked to everyone else in the room. Kate and Landon looked just as pitiful as he felt as he tried to push himself down from the table to find someplace a little more comfortable to lie down on.

"We need a plan," Landon yawned, fighting his urge to sleep. "We're going to have to fight her again."

"Soon too, I bet," warned Kate. "The invincible never stay gone for long. She's going to want to fight us again in the very near future."

"Our standard abilities will not be enough to combat against her," said a recovering Vision. "Magic and technology will do us no good if she can absorb those skills. We'll have to rely on different means if we're to prove successful in battle."

The Young Avengers were all in agreement about that, but just too unwilling at the moment to put something concrete together. The fight had worn them out too much. It had been the first true battle that most of them had gone through since their war against Doctor Doom. For Landon, none of his field experience amounted to fighting like this. Even someone like him decided that they were going to need to take a brief break if they were going to stand a chance for the next fight.

They just prayed that they would have at least enough time to sleep before that came.

* * *

Brought back from battle, Avatar stood before The Organization.

She felt a bit of blood trickling down her arm which she knew came from some point during the fight. The only ones who got closer enough to inflict such harm had to have been Hulkling, Turquoise Boy, or Hawkeye. They weren't her intended targets though so she hadn't responded the way that an enemy properly would've.

The Organization came before their weapon with each one taking the time to examine her. Supernova and Deception were extra careful as they made certain that the control that they had on her mind was still powerful enough to keep her under their whim. Considering how much power they granted her, the last thing that The Organization needed was for their Avatar to go rogue.

Volt touched Avatar's tussled hair with her fingers, sensing how damaged the girl's nerves were by the static contact. Ventus and Terra kept things based on appearance as they saw that no immediate damage was done beside the blood trickling down her arm. As for Aqua, he used his aquatic abilities to sense for any internal injuries, which he reported back to his superior that there were none.

Aside from a few scrapes, Avatar had proven herself to The Organization. She easily exceeded their original expectations for being so easily able to decimate the Young Avengers in just one battle. If she were given the opportunity to attack again then she should surely be easily able to defeat her opponents permanently.

But killing all of the Young Avengers was not her priority. Once more, Avatar heard Supernova go on about how the mage needed to be killed.

Circling around his Organization, Supernova made sure to hammer this in for all of his members. The boy needed to be killed above all else if everything was to work out the way that they desired. "Wiccan must be destroyed before he can become a problem for us," said Supernova. "The son of the chaos-witch has already proven that his magic exceeds expectations. If his powers continue to grow then he'll be at a level that rivals the Sorcerer Supreme."

"And that would be a problem for us how?" Aqua asked their leader. He stepped away from Terra's side to notice the look of stress that Supernova bore. It seemed very strange to him as the water-bender kept some of his suspicions to himself. "Wiccan is a strong mage, but I highly doubt he can stop us. The Scarlet Witch stole the fragmented soul of a demon before resurrecting her son from borrowed power. He should be nothing to us."

"That is where you are wrong, Aqua," hissed Supernova. "The boy's magic has come into contact with the powers of Creation. His presence on this world jeopardizes everything that we have planned. He is a force of magic that must not be allowed to continue to exist if we are going to succeed in freeing our master."

Not satisfied but keeping his trouble to himself, Aqua chose to stand down for the moment. However, he kept a careful watch on Supernova as he could tell that their leader was withholding information from the rest of them.

It all came down to Wiccan and their master, but just how they were entangled together would be a mystery for the moment.

Avatar could feel something similar scratching away at the mental barriers placed by Deception and Supernova. She knew that there was something not right about all of this, but no matter how she banged on those walls, they would just not come down.

It was in this oblivious, trapped state that The Organization desired their weapon to be in. She was meant to be controlled, a pretty doll that would be allowed to run around and play when they so desired.

This was a sentence far worse then death, but she couldn't even vocalize her opposition.

Supernova turned away from his Organization, removing himself from the room as they watched him, in silence. And for now, The Organization knew that this meant that there would be no further plotting for the remainder of the day.

Volt and Deception removed Avatar to return her to the room as Aqua remained behind with the rest of the Elemental Trio.

Time eventually led Aqua to return to his empty chamber.

The furnishing was kept to a bare minimum as the young man disrobed from the depressing regalia that they were forced to wear. With his flesh being caressed by the cold air, Jared felt his mind begin to wander as he thought back to his encounter with Supernova just a few moments before. It still disturbed him by just how desperately he sought to murder the boy, Wiccan.

Then again, Supernova was the sick sadist who tortured and killed Avatar's family before declaring her a scientific success.

It was downright sickening, but at least he could take comfort in the fact that he had yet to join The Organization when that occurred. In a twisted way, Avatar would be Aqua's superior if she had been declared a member of The Organization and not just their weapon of war.

But where did that leave the rest of them?

Yes, each member of The Organization brought with them a set of skills that were useful, but didn't that just make them a tool like Avatar? Deception was the Loki of the group, able to trick others by creating illusions of whatever desired. Volt could disarm any security or individual by her electrical talents, and it didn't hurt that she liked to get inside a person's head as much as Deception did. Terra and Ventus were other fine soldiers for The Organization that were the strong arm. Despite her fragile appearance, Ventus could be as brutal as her brother if she so desired. And then there was him, the one who could force a person into doing his bidding by sheer willpower.

Supernova was the most mysterious of them all as he kept most of his abilities and his origins a secret from everyone.

"What are you planning, Nova?" Jared said to himself. "You assembled us together for a reason. What is it that you want from us?"

The water-bender entered his bathroom with the bathtub faucet already pouring hot water by the bucket. It was quickly filled to the brim with Jared using his abilities to create a Jacuzzi affect without much effort at all as he continued to think about the Nova problem.

So many secrets, it wasn't exactly what he had expected when he came to The Organization. Nova made it sound more like a family, but that's not what they were. They were just a group of freaks with a complicated past brought together for some mysterious reason.

Jared thought he was better off being stuck at one of the Mutant schools. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about feeling like he was a sacrificial lamb just waiting to be slaughtered once his purpose was fulfilled.

Considering just how much like hell it was to be here, why did he continue being here? There were so many other places that he could escape to, but he didn't. He lived in worse before; he lived on the streets as a whore for half of his teenage life. He didn't have much else to fall back on since his family made certain to take everything away from him. Maybe the reason why he stayed was because he wanted to make others hurt like he hurt.

It's the one thing that they all have in common. Deception and Volt faced persecution back in their home countries, while Terra and Ventus had been disowned much like him. They were all immersed in so much pain that they were easy prey for Supernova to manipulate.

But Jared was still curious what Nova was planning. He wanted to see how it was all going to end.

That wasn't the only reason why he stayed though.

Jared felt strange vibrations in the tub that caused him to be pulled away from his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see the second reason standing before him in all his splendor.

Undressed and aroused, Joseph entered the tub with Jared moving to make room for his earthly scented lover. Water and earth came together as the lovers embraced with Joseph's firm grip grabbing onto the thin wrist of his partner.

"My sister and I have a new assignment," whispered Terra.

"Oh?" Jared said as he sat on top. "What does Nova want you to do now?"

"We're to work with you and Avatar to deal with the Young Avenger problem," Terra said, grabbing onto Jared's waist now. He leaned forward with his lips grazing against Jared's neck as he moved towards his ear. "That means you and I will be spending more time together."

Jared smirked as he mumbled about being able to live with that as he leaned back against him.

* * *

As the sun came up the next day, the Young Avengers felt that they had recovered enough to begin working on a plan to defeat Avatar. That night, none of them moved from the spots that they had originally occupied so they pretty much slept all together in a pile. After that awkward night, it was decided that now was the time to get ready for the next battle.

It was Landon and Kate who worked together to come up with a strategy during breakfast. Billy had made pancakes with The Vision's help. The giant stack of flapjacks was very welcomed as they all devoured them in order to regain the rest of their strength. Afterwards, that's when Landon unveiled the plan that they had come up with.

"So we all know how powerful this girl is," said Landon, "and how easy it was for her to absorb our abilities. If she can absorb the explosions from our weapons, Tommy's molecular acceleration, and Billy's offensive spells then we're going to have to think outside the box." He stood up to prove his point as he got to work by kicking Teddy out of his chair. The hybrid yelped with surprise like the rest of them as he jumped back on his feet. About to be pounded, Landon already raised his hands up in surrender. "We can only fight her directly in hand-to-hand combat. That's the only way we're going to be able to defeat her."

Teddy already had his arm turn green with a vicious set of claws ready to tare Landon a new one. He retracted them though as he realized that there was some big point that the agent felt that he had to make, which the alien teen wanted to know why. "What does that have to do with you kicking me off my stool?" said Teddy. "I didn't do anything to you."

"No, you didn't," Landon admitted, "but I needed to test your reflexes. Kate and I are the only ones with any formal combat training. The rest of you are completely undisciplined."

Before the agent could go any further with that statement, The Vision decided to interrupt him. "If I may interject," said The Vision, "I am a combat master as of ten seconds ago. I've downloaded a variety of martial arts strategies to my brain."

Landon forgot he had to account for the cheating Synthazoid. "Alright, so that just leaves Teddy, Tommy, and Billy," the agent said, correcting his list. "It still doesn't make things better. Tommy and Billy, you two are poor when it comes to fighting. Billy, you rely too much on your spell casting, while Tommy, you just move really fast to make up for the fact that you don't really know how to fight."

"I could kick your ass, bitch," Tommy mumbled as he bit a pancake.

Pretending that he didn't hear that, Landon turned to Teddy next to deal with the alien boy. "And you, Teddy, are the worst offender!" added Landon. "You rely on your brute strength to do all the talking for you. That works against idiots like the Wrecking Crew, but you're in the big leagues now. You won't get lucky live you've been so far against people like Kang and the other villains. You're gonna need to properly learn to fight if you're going to be able to protect yourself and the rest of the team."

Teddy grumbled about that as he flexed his muscles, proving his strength. Billy got a kick out of that as he rested his head on his fiancé's shoulders. It wasn't like the mage could say anything; he was a terrible fighter after all. He always had been which is what made him such an easy target for bullies.

"We've decided that we're going to have to give you guys a crash course," Kate said, continuing for Landon. "Meet us in the dojo space in one hour. Landon and I are going to teach you all how to kick some ass. Understood?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Teddy and Billy said, pretending to be soldiers.

Even Tommy threw in a salute as they all went upstairs to get changed.

* * *

Covered in bruises now thanks to Landon, Tommy felt like shit as he stepped inside the shower after the training session. Granted, it was fairly therapeutic for him since he had Landon eat his words a bit since Tommy proved that he had a bit more training in fighting then the agent originally expected. Plus, he showed off his skills as he pretty much kicked Billy's ass, which helped with all those issues that he was having, but Billy wasn't exactly thrilled.

But Billy was distracted as he had to take care of Teddy who got his butt kicked by a Kung-Fu Master version of The Vision. That one was hilarious and a memory that Tommy was going to take to the bank.

As soon as the hot water began to touch his strained muscles, relief began to wash over him as he felt at ease after all the shit that's been going on. Even the thoughts about a teenage, unstoppable, warrior girl were far from his mind as the hot water soothed every single muscle and helped to ease his troubled mind.

The ten minutes that he spent in the shower between relaxing and actually bathing himself felt utterly luxurious. Now that he was beginning to prune up, Tommy decided it was time to get out of there before he shriveled up completely.

Tommy stepped out into the cool air with his naked body exposed in the open. He grabbed a green towel from the rack and started to dry himself out as he started to make his way back into his bedroom. He went inside only to spot Kate sitting on his bed, luckily, she wasn't turned to face him.

Immediately though, Tommy dropped the towel to cover his privates before she spotted his goods as he blushed all over. "What…what are you doing in my room?" Tommy said, stuttering at first. "Why does everyone insist in barging into my room whenever they please?"

Somewhat aware to the danger of an exposed Tommy, Kate had made sure to keep herself at an appropriate distance from seeing something. Now that he was covered, she looked over to her boyfriend with a cheek grin on her face. "You should probably watch yourself, Tommy," warned the young heiress. "I am the one who is paying the bills after all. So you could stand to be just a tad nicer to me."

Kate and Tommy were locked in a staring contest for the time being as Tommy went over to his dresser to grab his clothes.

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing in my room," said Tommy. "The only time you ever come in is if you want to have like a make-out party. Considering the ass-whopping I took today, I'm not exactly in the mood to be kissing anybody."

Surprised by those words, Kate felt a little offended as she got up from the bed as Tommy finally got his underwear on. She was standing right behind the speedster with her hands resting on the center of his back. "You don't want to make-out with me?" she said, using her seductive voice. "Too bad, Speedy. You could've gotten some." The last part was said with a laugh as they both were aware how untrue that was. Kate enjoyed teasing her boyfriend as she returned to the bed just as Tommy noticed that she was dressed in some loose-fitted clothes.

Tommy kept watching her manners, seeing how she started to mess with his covers. He raised an eyebrow at this as he started to make his way over to his bed and threw himself on top of the sheets. "You want to sleep with me," Tommy said, sounding uncertain. "Well, this is a first. What did I do to deserve this Billy and Teddy manner?"

Leaning forward, she kissed him briefly on the lips as she finished getting underneath the blankets as Tommy could only watch. "We're all sleeping here tonight," said Kate. "Billy's sleeping with Teddy, The Vision is sleeping where he always sleeps, and Landon's sleeping downstairs since Billy conjured him a bed. I figured you and I could share a bed like grownups without worrying about anything messy happening."

"But I like messy," Tommy said with a wink as he got under the covers with her. "I've been a good boy too. I've actually been nice to Billy for two days straight."

"I've noticed," Kate said, leaning closer towards him. "Keep it up for a week and we could get very messy."

Tempted by that offer, Tommy went to sleep with a bit of difficulty but happily welcomed Kate into his bed.

* * *

Alarms went off two days after the Young Avengers began their new training. They quickly learned that Avatar was back in the city, which meant that they needed to suit up for action. They were going to have to use everything that they learned so far and throw it at her if they were going to prove themselves successful in battle.

The Young Avengers soon arrived to their destination as Wiccan cast his teleportation spell. It brought them to the middle of Central Park, which was currently facing a bit of a crisis. There was screaming in every possible direction as one explosion went off with people fleeing the park as quickly as they could.

Rushing over to the sight of the explosion, the Young Avengers found Avatar there whom appeared to be just as grim as she had the other day. Avatar lifted her head up to see the teenage superheroes with her eyes almost pleading them to leave now. That bit of emotion only lasted a moment as the orders of The Organization began to activate.

Hawkeye held up her bow and arrow, aiming for the incredibly, powerful girl. She fired at her with the arrow being easily brushed aside long before it came even closer to hitting Avatar. This came as a surprise as it seemed that a gust of wind had blown in but they didn't feel any breeze though.

That's when they felt a sharp breeze push the Young Avengers apart as something happened to their surroundings. The ground started to shake just as the water from the man-made lake began to ripple. All of which was very suspicious, which The Vision and Wiccan confirmed was far from being a natural occurrence.

The Young Avengers soon learned that they weren't alone.

Arriving first was a young woman whom quickly took her place near Avatar. She seemed oddly perky, despite being dressed in black leather with a coat that went down to her knees before flaring off to the side. Her chocolate-brown curls bouncing around as the wind around her only grew wilder.

Next as the earth continued to shake, a young man chose to join them as well. He looked similar to the young woman and dressed almost the same except his coat was unzipped to reveal his perfectly, chiseled chest. The ground finally stopped moving as he lifted his head up, setting his sight on the Young Avengers.

Lastly, another young man arrived with some of the water from the lake snaking its way around his leaner form. The manner he dressed in included the same black leathers, but his coat ended around his thighs. His blue hair became moist from the occasional droplet as he held his hand forward.

"Great," said Speed, "just what we needed. More bad guys."

The young woman was the one who laughed the loudest as she started to hold hands with Avatar as her companions kept to the side. "Oh yes, we're very bad, Little Quicksilver," she said, mocking him with her tone. It didn't exactly help that she said that while giggling as she made eye contact with the Young Avengers. "We are from The Organization, and we are here to make your lives miserable as we slowly kill you. Please, call me Ventus."

Upon introducing herself, Ventus extended one hand forward towards her look-alike. "This hunky Adonis is my older brother, Terra," she said, continuing to smile. "And the adorable twink over there is his boyfriend, Aqua. The three of us make up the Elemental Trio: wind, earth, and water all brought together as the strong arm of The Organization."

Ventus then pushed herself behind Avatar as she felt it necessary to bring her up as well. After all, Avatar was the special experiment that they created to defeat the Young Avengers. "You've all already met Avatar," she said with a cheerful grin. "I'm sure you're just dying to know too why she is so powerful! Well, it's quite simple; she wields Ms. Marvel's powers."

The Young Avengers all tensed up as they heard those words escape from the cheerful Ventus's mouth. It certainly made sense now, considering the behavior of Avatar's abilities. But just how was that possible though. How could this girl poses the abilities of the Avenger, Ms. Marvel?

"That's impossible," argued Turquoise Boy.

"You're trying to trick us!" said Speed.

Terra took the liberty of speaking next as he stomped his foot on the ground. The sudden shock caught the teenagers' attention. "Anything is possible for us," said the earth-bender. "We gathered Ms. Marvel's unique DNA and began to experiment on Avatar with them until she reached perfection."

"All of Ms. Marvel's powers are within Avatar," said Aqua. "The powers that Ms. Marvel had absorbed from the Kree, Captain Mar-Vell, are hers as well." Hulkling, especially, felt the sting of those words as this Organization brought up his deceased father. Aqua wasn't finished though as he continued to flick the water around him. "Plus, we made certain to expand her absorption abilities to include magic so you can't be chanting any more spells against her."

"She's the perfect weapon!" cheered Ventus. "And this time, there is no escaping your doom."

Hawkeye was done talking as she retrieved an arrow from her quiver. She pulled it back on her bowstring as she took aim at Ventus this time. "I'd care to take a wager on that one," she said, bluntly. "Avengers…Assemble!" Releasing the arrow, it immediately erupted into a cloud of smoke, which led to Ventus quickly using her affinity over the wind to blow it aside.

The Young Avengers parted ways to deal with this mess as they spoke to one another through a mental link created by Wiccan. Each one already knew who they were going to fight because they were now aware that Avatar was only a tool used by a far greater force. Although, they now knew where her powers came from, it still didn't change the desperation of the situation.

They were going to have to open up a major can of whoopass.

Hulkling went after Terra as Wiccan flew towards Ventus and Turquoise Boy rushed off towards Aqua. Hawkeye led The Vision and Speed against Avatar as they prepared to end this mess before things could escalate further.

Going airborne granted Hulkling some protection from the bulk of Terra's attacks. It quickly got frustrating for the Mutant as the Kree-Skrull hybrid avoided the ripples that he was sending his way. But Terra refused to be outdone by some alien as he smashed his fists together to generate seismic energy within his own body that would prove to be useful.

Hulkling applied some of the skills that he learned these past couple of days to deal with this earthly menace. The alien touched the ground and began to tactfully swinging his fists after his opponent. Those blows would be intercepted by Terra as he guarded himself and brushed Hulkling's attack to the side.

The earth-bender pushed himself against the alien teenager with all his might to knock him off his balance. It proved just as effective as he wanted it to since the shapeshifter did, in fact, lose his balance just as Terra focused for the ground to shake only around them. It was certainly enough to keep Hulkling off his groove, but it wasn't enough to keep him down.

Hulkling would find the strength to kick Terra off of him, which caused the ground to stop shaking long enough for him to get back up. But by then, Terra was already back in the picture and delivered a sharp blow to the alien's back. The Mutant encased his fist with seismic energy once more to deliver a blow powerful enough to cancel out the alien's invulnerability long enough to inflict some serious damage.

As this occurred, Wiccan and Ventus were both locked in an airborne fight.

Wiccan fired bolts of magical lightning from his hands at Ventus only to have those spells brushed aside by Ventus's wind currents. The constant currents were oddly powerful, which made the mage wonder just how she could do that if all she could do was bend air. She had to be like Avatar, someone must've expanded her abilities.

The mage wondered if everyone in The Organization was like this. If that was true and there were more of them then it was going to make the coming battles all the more difficult.

Snapped back into reality, Ventus attacked Billy with a wind slap across the face that threw the mage back. He hadn't expected such an attack, but he was able to regain control of his flight as he went after her once more. A second current of wind attempted to smack into him, but this time he was prepared as he projected a force field around himself.

Wiccan hurled the wind and even the matter of the force field back at Ventus to take her down a peg or two. This would've worked on an normal opponent, but someone as crafty as her wasn't so easily impressed. Her wind current protected her as she easily swayed away from Wiccan's counter attack before springing back with a trap of her own, a brilliant one at that.

A current of wind wound itself around Wiccan's leg, which had him completely trapped in an iron-like grip. Before he could do anything about it, Ventus had him spinning all around the air by just hanging onto the current around him. Wiccan was quickly growing nauseous as he was spun around and around without any sign of ending anytime soon.

He tried to magic his way out of it, but Ventus wasn't about to let him escape that easily. She released the current to send the mage crashing down to the ground where he'd be seriously injured upon impact. However, Wiccan was successful in projecting a force field to soften the landing, but the impact still caused his concentration to break as he smacked his head fairly hard.

Meanwhile, Turquoise Boy would be running through the gauntlet to reach Aqua.

The water-bender refused to make things easy though. Aqua had the water under his control as he slashed Turquoise Boy with band after band of water or ice. All of which would've separated the agent from a body part if contact was made.

Flipping away from another water whip, Turquoise Boy would arm himself with one of his guns and take aim at Aqua. The bullets sailed across the park where they would've certainly put an end to Aqua if the Mutant hadn't expected that to happen.

Aqua threw water up from the ground to create an icy wall in front of him. The ice easily protected him from the hailing bullets, which he pulled out from the ice until they fell on the ground. He smirked as he pushed icy spikes out from the wall before hurling it straight towards Turquoise Boy to gut him. The agent would luckily prove himself able to avoid getting injury by jumping out of the way as the icy wall shattered against nearby trees.

Rushing him at full speed, Turquoise Boy knew that if he could get in close that he could really lay it on him. However, Aqua wasn't about to let that happen as he noticed the agent was arming himself with a knife. It certainly seemed like cheating, which the water-bender wasn't not fond of as he braced himself.

Turquoise Boy came in with his blade only to have Aqua snatch him by the wrist to pull the weapon away. Aqua started to grin at the stunned agent before tossing him back with surprising strength before creating a band of water to finish him off. The agent didn't even have the chance to guard himself when the wave of water crashed against him with brutal force that brought him down instead of his target.

As the Elemental Trio proved themselves, another trio was attempting to put down Avatar.

Things weren't going well for them either.

Hawkeye led Speed and The Vision against the Ms. Marvel wannabe, which wasn't exactly giving them the results that they wanted. Avatar was able to continue countering their moves with an almost sixth sense that allowed her to guard herself from any injury. No matter how fast Speed or The Vision moved, they just couldn't lay a hand on her.

Avatar was full of power as she grabbed the both of them by their necks. She hoisted them up into the air with their feet dangling as they tried to break free from her grip on them. Even as Hawkeye came at her with a sword, Avatar hadn't thought about letting them go until the last possible second.

She easily threw them both off to the side before catching the incoming blade with both hands on the steel. Avatar's amazing catch was heightened by her raw strength and invulnerability which protected her from sustaining injury from the steel.

Eyes coming into contact, it led to Hawkeye noticing the fear and regret within Avatar that truly caught her by surprised. It was then that the Young Avengers' leader could see just how horrible Avatar felt about all of this. Painfully obvious now that Avatar was a victim in The Organization's schemes, brought before them by their twisted minds.

"How do I free you?" asked Hawkeye.

"You don't," Avatar growled, despite the innocence in her eyes. "I defeat you and kill the mage that's how I'll become free!"

"Kill Wiccan?" Hawkeye said, stunned by Avatar's words.

Avatar threw Hawkeye and her sword back by pushing her arms forward. With her balance gone, Avatar was able to throw her body around to deliver the heel of her boot against Hawkeye's chest. The blow wasn't superhuman, but it was super enough to really knock the wind out of the young woman as she landed not too far from the rest of their teammates.

Once again, the Young Avengers had been defeated, but this time it was worse as The Organization had proven their superiority as well. Gathered together, the teenage superheroes felt powerless to do anything else to stop Avatar or the Elemental Trio.

The four villains gathered around them with the Elemental Trio grinning, sinisterly. It frightened some of the Avengers, while they all struggled to get back up on their feet to fight.

Wiccan tried to mumble out a spell, but found his voice was too weak. Speed felt too achy to even move in a modest run before dropping back to one knee. The Vision looked towards the approaching villains as Hawkeye helped Turquoise Boy up. Hulking tried to throw a fist at one of them, but felt like his arm was too heavy to use at the moment.

It was quickly becoming a nightmare for them as the villains drew close.

The trio were about to mouth something off when someone unexpected happened.

Sharp, red projectiles and a series a metal stars flew through the air. They all managed to land around The Elemental Trio and Avatar, which was odd enough in itself. But that wasn't the end of it. The items flashed for a second before generating a wide explosion that had completely caught them off guard.

The Young Avengers covered themselves from the heat of the nearby explosion. As things settled down though, they found that the Elemental Trio and Avatar were fairly unaffected by the attack.

But it still warranted some sort of action.

Terra was about to retaliate at their new enemies when Aqua pulled his arm back. The smaller man kept his lover in check as two new figures began to approach. "We need to report back to Supernova," warned Aqua. "The fact that there are more of the Avengers now is enough to warrant new precautions being taken."

Ventus stepped up as well as she grabbed onto Avatar's sleeve. "He's right, brother," she said to Terra. "It is best if we leave them be for now. We can't risk them motivating the rest of the Young Avengers to actually put up a fight. We can deal with them another day."

Unwilling to leave, but knowing his place, Terra conceded. He flicked his hand up into the air, snapping his fingers together to trigger their exit.

In a flash, the Elemental Trio and Avatar were gone, leaving the Young Avengers to ponder what just happened when they finally saw them. Hawkeye seemed the most surprised as she let out an audible gasp, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Speed. The rest of them were equally surprised to see a face that they hadn't expected to see for a long time.

"Well, this isn't what I expected to see, but I'm glad that I decided to come back. And, I even brought a new friend with me."

Elijah 'Eli' Bradley aka Patriot returned in uniform with his shield in one hand and the arm of a new superhero hanging onto the other hand. Seeing him was enough of a surprise but to see the black girl dressed as a female Falcon was odd as well.

"Guys," said Patriot, "this is the Falcon's daughter, Samantha Wilson, aka Falcon Girl."

"Hi!" The newcomer said, cheerfully enough.

Despite the brutal hell that they had just survived from, the Young Avengers couldn't be more thrilled to see them both because help is exactly what they needed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Another fun-filled adventure for our favorite heroes! Let me know what you think! Oh, and you're really going to have to now. I'm requiring 3 Reviews before I update the story. So read and review!  
**

**War of the Heroes:**

_After I had failed the team, I never imagined that I'd return anytime soon. Between my bad call with Doom, the fact that I nearly killed Wanda, and I blamed myself partly for what happened with Cassie and The Vision; it was just all such a disaster that I couldn't help but blame myself. I have to admit that the first year was hell for me as I tried to convince myself that I had made the right decision by leaving the Young Avengers. _

_I tried hard to adjust though, but Scottsdale wasn't New York, not even close. I had already tasted what life could be as a hero so I had a difficult time trying to adjust to being a civilian again. My mom, my brothers, and sisters were oblivious to my second life as Patriot, but gramps and grandma understood the depression that hit me. They tried to convince me to come back to the city, but I just couldn't do that since I carried too many scars from what happened before. I swore to myself that I'd never return to New York and especially not to the Young Avengers until I could become a man that could truly stand beside them._

_Yet here I was; back in uniform just as my friends needed my help the most._

_The void created by leaving the team had instantly changed as I made my way towards them after the Matrix-wannabe villains made their escape. Now that I was Patriot again and joined together with the rest of the team, I felt like I was ready to take on anything. But I understood that I could never be the leader again, not that I would want to be though. I had made so many bad calls as leader; I nearly got all my friends killed. I was even willing to sacrifice my own friends on more than one occasion. Nate was an understandable one since time itself was being destroyed, but Teddy and Billy…it disgusted me now that I thought back to it. I was willing to throw Teddy into the middle of the Kree and Skrull, while almost turning my back on Billy as his powers expanded beyond his control._

_No, I wouldn't feel right as the leader of the Young Avengers. I was not suitable enough to lead, not even in the slightest. Kate though was a true leader, she had the stuff that would make her great. She was always the reasonable one, willing to find a way to save her friends if it all possible before falling into desperation. I knew of how well she had been leading the team since the Young Avengers were reconstituted, I had the utmost confidence in Kate to continue leading the team._

_But right now, the team needed my help, our help._

_I couldn't believe that I was here right now with my friends with the daughter of The Falcon joining us as well. I noticed the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and thought that was strange until the others filled me in on him. Well, now that I knew a little more about Turquoise Boy, suddenly it didn't seem so strange to have Samantha with me now. After all, she was the one who sought me out specifically since she wanted to continue her father's legacy as the second generation Falcon._

_And seeing just how powerful that leather gang was, I knew that we were going to need all the help that we could get. I was more than willing to do what it took to be there for the Young Avengers, and this time I would not let them down when they needed me most. _

* * *

Since the battle had ended, the Young Avengers brought Eli and Samantha to their headquarters to discuss their presence in New York. Eli's former teammates were astonished to see him there, while all of them were surprised by the presence of Samantha Wilson. They weren't even aware that the Falcon had a daughter, much less a teenage one.

But before they could interrogate her, they needed to discuss the problems at hand.

Leaning against the computer, Eli turned towards Kate and The Vision for latest details. He had briefly heard from the others how their Vision had been rebuilt by the Avengers' Vision, which helped to ease some of the tension in the room as he was grateful to have a friend back. "Do you know who those gothic freaks were?" asked Eli. "I noticed that they gave you all a handful before Sam and I arrived."

It was The Vision that came forward with an answer as he pulled up an image from the battle. They were all seeing the Elemental Trio and Avatar, seeing the four of them again in all of their glory. "They say they work for this group called The Organization," said The Vision. "Now, we don't know what it is that The Organization wants, but it can't be for anything good."

Kate stepped up next as she turn towards Eli and Samantha, purposely avoiding making eye contact with Eli. "The fact that they experimented on some poor girl with Ms. Marvel's DNA," said Kate, "so that they could turn her into a super weapon goes to show how far they're willing to go."

With her mask pulled down, Samantha stood before the Young Avengers, easily carrying herself in a female version of the red and white uniform that her father wore. "That girl has Ms. Marvel's DNA?" said Samantha. "That would explain why she didn't seem harmed at all by my explosive feathers. It has to do with the Kree DNA that Ms. Marvel absorbed doesn't it?"

Their response was simple as they nodded their heads. This led to them all begin to raise questions on just how The Organization was able to take DNA from Ms. Marvel to piece together a fragment of this puzzle. One of the theories that they had was probably the most obvious method used by their villains.

Considering just how many fights that the heroes of the world got into, it wouldn't be difficult at all to get some sort of DNA sample. Blood would probably be the most likely culprit or even a lock of hair. Other than that things would have to get severally complicated and dirty as The Organization would've had to use more intrusive means to take DNA.

"But does that make her evil?" questioned Billy. "Avatar didn't seem like she was working for The Organization by her own free-will not like those other three."

Teddy could only shrug his shoulders in response as he turned to the others. Each of them seemed to have similar feelings as he did about this situation. "She could be under some sort of mind control then or a spell," suggested Teddy. "Maybe we don't have to fight her the same way we would fight other villains."

"That would change our strategy, but we can't beat her any other means," agreed Landon.

"Great so that means we have Billy zap her with some mental mojo," said Tommy. "Now, I want to know about you, girly!" The last bit was directed a Sam who he stepped in front of with his remarkable speed. Sam hadn't expected this bit of intrusion, but Eli was able to push the speedster back a couple of inches. "What's your story? What are you doing here and how did Eli recruit you?"

"He didn't," corrected Sam, "I found him."

A smile crossed her face as Samantha decided to fill the others in on her story. Even Eli was curious since he hadn't gotten that much information out of her when they had first met a month ago. He remained silent though as he really wanted to hear what it was that brought Sam along to the superhero gig.

She explained how her father, Samuel Wilson, had a brief affair with a woman named Martha Crane almost nineteen years ago. About a year after she had been born, her parents were married secretly, keeping their relationship and their daughter hidden from those that might wish them harm. She went had always wanted to follow in her father's heroic footsteps by becoming the Falcon. Her father didn't exactly want his daughter to follow his lead, considering the crimes that he had committed in his past.

Determined though, Samantha would train in secret with her mother's approval. She would learn to fight and even displaced a telepathic connection to birds like her father did. When her father found out, he tried to curb Samantha away from the path that she was walking down but after Captain America's death, the shock reminded him that heroes couldn't live forever. Samuel Wilson understood how important it was for the next generation to carry on the legacy established by the heroes of today, especially after working with the Young Avenger.

"So my father took over my training," continued Samantha. "He had a suit created for me and taught me everything I know as the Lady Falcon."

Throwing his arm up into the air like a school kid, Billy tried to catch her attention. When the dark-skinned beauty turned his way, it caused the mage to instantly perk up. "Then how did you and Eli meet?" asked Billy.

"I heard so much about the Young Avengers from my father that I decided to search for you. I knew I wanted to be a part of your team, but I also knew what happened after you found the Scarlet Witch," she explained to them. "I just happened to go to school with Eli in Scottsdale, but I didn't want to approach him because of what happened to you all. I waited until after I saw those reports of the Young Avengers being back so I finally went up to talk to him and revealed myself as the Falcon's daughter."

"I almost didn't believe her," added Eli, "but I kind of had to when she kicked my ass."

That was a laugh worthy moment that caused the Young Avengers and company to find the humor in that moment.

Samantha continued to speak until she informed the team how they had heard about the pervious fight. Eli had decided that he needed to return to New York to help them, which prompted Sam to join him so that she could become a Young Avenger too.

Hearing all that they needed to hear, the team agreed to bring Eli back into the group as well as except Samantha as a new teammate.

The team began to part ways after their meeting had ended. The Vision took off with Landon and Teddy to see how much damage was done to Central Park after their battle. Tommy ended up showing Samantha around to help her adjust to her new life as Young Avenger and as a New Yorker, while Billy had got trapped going to a family dinner.

* * *

As everyone flittered off to do their things, Kate was left alone with Eli for the time being.

It was an awkward feeling that they were left with as they both ended up walking towards the rooftop of their base. Kate kept the lead as Eli followed without question, both of them dressed as civilians so not to risk exposure to any potential onlookers. So if anyone saw them then nobody could possibly think that they would be the Young Avengers, Hawkeye and Patriot.

On the roof, the silence didn't exactly get any better. It was still awkward and left a bad stench in the air.

Eli shuffled around uncomfortably as he ran his fingers toward the back of his scalp. He bit down on his bottom lip as well as he tried to think of something to say to his ex-girlfriend, but wasn't exactly sure what to say without stepping his bounds. It wasn't exactly like he had dumped her; she was the one who broke up with him. But then again, he kind of deserved it now that he thought back to how much of a prideful jerk he had been.

He finally mustered up some courage to say something only to be cut off as Kate turned to face him.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kate knew that she had to say this before she lost her guts and before Eli said something that would be very bad. "I'm dating Tommy now," Kate said, clearly and bluntly. It wasn't like she was trying to rub it in his face, but the look of surprise that Eli hit her with did seem to carry that message. She had to let him know that key fact before either one did something that would be regrettable or messy. "We're getting kind of serious now, but not like Billy and Teddy are."

Feeling that he got an opening for a subject change, Eli decided to leap at it. He so did not want to discuss Kate's current relationship, especially since it was to the team sociopath. "I heard about that," he said to her. "That's all those two nerds ever post on Facebook now. I can't go a day without seeing a status from them about their engagement."

Kate started to laugh, a sincere laugh too, which helped Eli to relax as he moved closer towards her. Personal space was respected still though since they were no longer involved together. But it was nice that they could still be civil to each other as the awkwardness from earlier began to erode just as the moon could be clearly seen as the city lit up.

Eli found some chairs for them to both sit on. They looked up to the sky, neither one saying much else for the moment until Kate dropped her guard some more.

"How was Scottsdale?" asked Kate. "Is it like it sounds in Twilight?"

Snorting, Eli could only shake his head at Kate's question. He had to add some words to that or else his logic would make any sense to her. "Let's not talk about that failed attempt at a book," said the young, super-solider. "But Scottsdale is better than it sounds. It was good being with my family again, I didn't realize how much I actually missed my mom until I was back."

Without realizing it, Kate was nodding her head at him. She knew all too well about what it was like to miss your mother. "You never realize how much you miss them until you're without one," she said, softly. "All of us have mommy issues, except for Landon and Sam, I think. I haven't heard Landon talk too much about his mother and Samantha made it sound like she's fairly close to her mom."

"I guess to be a first generation Young Avenger," said Eli, "we have to have some sort of mom related issues. I don't live with my mom anymore, Nate's mom was absent, Cassie stopped getting along with her mom after the divorce and custody battles, Teddy and your moms are dead, Billy and Tommy got two moms since they're Wanda's reincarnated sons, and The Vision never had a mom. Yeah…we're so fucking damaged."

"Agreed," Kate said, joining him once more.

The two couldn't help but to laugh at the humor in their situation. It wasn't so much of the lack of the maternal figure in their lives, but just how it was the circumstances that had brought them all together in the first place. Tortured, misunderstood, or outsiders were a few words that could be used to describe the motley crew that they had assembled to be the Young Avengers.

Laughing together, Kate and Eli felt the rift between them start erode. They could never go back to being the couple that they were before, but they could at least be each other's friend. There was proof enough of this as the two embraced each other in a hug, glad that they could at least be there for one another.

However, the two were oblivious that Tommy had returned and was watching them. Without understanding the context, he could only assume that worst as he turned away with his fists clenched together.

* * *

Supernova was not excited to see that the Young Avengers had survived the last battle when it should've been the end of them. The Organization's leader had the utmost faith in his Elemental Trio and Avatar that they would be able to handle a handful of teenagers, but that seemed beyond them. Now, he couldn't absolutely be furious with them since there were the new developments of Patriot's return and the existence of a teenage, female Falcon.

The presence of two more players in the ballgame wasn't a pleasure that Supernova had been expecting to hear. However, he wouldn't allow those two to be a snag in the plans he had for The Organization. The two of them were a nothing compared to what he would put the world through as it was losing balance as the X-Men and Avengers were busy fighting each other while the Phoenix Force approached the Earth.

No, Supernova had much bigger plans for the world that could not be derailed now that he was so close. The time was coming where their master would be freed and allowed to walk the world of mortals once more.

Shame was a feeling that the Elemental Trio was forced to bear as Volt and Deception bore disappointed looks at them. The duo kept to their corner with Avatar kneeling down before them as Deception's mind weaved through Avatar's psyche to make certain that the safeguards were still in check.

Ventus, Terra, and Aqua had expected punishment from Supernova for their failed battle. Nothing came for them though in large part because of how easy that they had decimated the Young Avengers. The trio had earned a "get out of jail" free card, so to speak, as Supernova decided to play with the Young Avengers for a little longer.

And when he meant by a little longer, Supernova meant only for a few more days.

"I believe that it is time that we do something about the Young Avengers, ourselves," Supernova said as he rubbed his thumb against his fingers. A small flicker of chaotic magic began to sparkle from his fingertips, while he turned back to see the rest of his group standing around him. "The Young Avengers have proven themselves to be clever and numerous. I want them to be struck down so that the mage, Wiccan, can be killed." He stepped closer to the rest of his group in order to make this particular point clear to them. "For if he continues to exist then his magic can potentially harm our master."

Why or how the mage could hurt their master was left unsaid by Supernova. Before any of them could even ask a question, Supernova turned away as he informed them to be prepared for battle by tomorrow.

Avatar felt a chill run down her spine as her mind reclaimed consciousness again. Once more, Supernova had mentioned killing the mage, Wiccan, for the sake of their unknown master. She got a little more detail this time around, but she just still couldn't piece together what was so special about Wiccan. However, before she could go any further with her thoughts, Deception touched her temple to strip herself of her mind.

Deception and Volt helped the girl to her feet to remove her from the chamber. They both remained deathly silent as they communicated with their speechless connection, while the trio remained behind for the moment.

Ventus sighed after seeing that they were all gone. She was the most certain out of the three that things would've ended badly for them if Supernova had been in a worse mood. Counting her lucky stars now, she would disappear from the main chamber as she bid her brother and his boyfriend farewell for the remainder of the night, leaving them to their own devices.

An arm came around him, prompting Aqua to turn towards Terra who bore a soft grin on his face. The earthly man took his free hand to touch his lover's cheek as he whispered how fortunate that they had been just now. Aqua was aware that Supernova had a temper, but Terra mentioned that the newcomer had yet to see it to its full extent.

"Let us go to bed, love," Terra said, leaning his face closer towards Aqua. "I wish to feel your cool, soft skin against mine."

The temptation was there, luring Aqua to embrace them which he did. His body melted against Terra's touch as he brought his hands to touch that exposed chest. "And I wish to feel your rough touch claim what is yours,' he whispered to him. His lips gently touched the darker cheek before he began to walk away from the room as well.

* * *

Sitting comfortably on the bed, Teddy found himself in Billy's bedroom after the recon mission with The Vision and Landon. The battle hadn't done as much damage to the park as they feared so there wasn't much of clean-up work that they needed to worry about. Since he was freed from that burden, the alien boy went across town to see his fiancé and spend some time alone together that might not last long if The Organization had their way.

Billy had Teddy get flat on his stomach as he began to give a massage to his partner. He had similar thoughts about what the near future had to him, but he tried to be optimistic as he used his elbows to take out a knot in Teddy's back. It felt a little luxurious for Teddy with a slight moan escaping his throat as he buried his face down into a pillow. Billy couldn't help but to giggle as he continued to work on Teddy's tense muscles.

"What do you think The Organization wants with us?" asked Billy. "Are we standing in their way to a greater goal or do they just want to eliminate us?"

Mumbling into the pillow as the massage relaxed him; Teddy realized his error as he finally picked his head up. He turned his head back a little so that at least one eye could see the handy work being performed by his fiancé. "In all honesty, I have no idea," said Teddy. "But if I would have to take a guess then I'd say that they want to get rid of us. With all of the other heroes busy fighting each other, we're the only ones left to fight the bad guys."

Billy started to pound Teddy's back a little as he felt a chill run down his spine. "Great so we finally have supervillains of our own. I guess that means we're real superheroes now," Billy said with a sarcastic bite.

Teddy smirked as he saw the humor in his boyfriend's voice as he returned his head to the pillow, relaxing thanks to Billy's magic fingers. It wasn't so much that Billy gave good massages; it had more to do with the fact that he was dating a witch. Billy would have to cast a spell or two to actually do any good for Teddy due to his Kree and Skrull lineage. His physiology made his skin so thick that it required some extra pounding in order to break through to be of use.

Dropping his body on top of him, Billy felt a little too worn out to be of any further good to Teddy. He felt his own soreness start to catch up to him thanks to that air-bender, Ventus. She had really done a number on him with that wind, ankle cuffs thing. The landing hurt like hell even with his shield offering him protection, which is why he nearly passed out at dinner today.

Right now though he was about to pass out on top of Teddy.

Teddy felt Billy's breathing soften and decreasing which meant that sleep was about to take hold of him. Not liking that outcome, Teddy pushed Billy off him a bit before spinning his body around to catch his descending boyfriend before he fell. Teddy wrapped both arms around Billy's leaner frame, pulling him closer towards his chest as they both fell back on top of the message.

At this point, both felt content as Billy curled closer. Teddy felt too lazy to snatch them a blanket to use so he just decided to get a little sleep for himself too since his boyfriend didn't have the energy to have more active fun. But having a buddy to cuddle with was almost as good as having a buddy to have sex with.

Yeah, Teddy could be a horn dog if he wanted to.

* * *

Landon and The Vision took a journey across the city to make it to Brooklyn Bridge. The repairs had already begun since the first battle that they had against Avatar. The damages left the bridge unsafe for public use, which meant a major inconvenience to thousands of people. Repairs were being done as quickly as possible do with a crew from S.H.I.E.L.D. leading the operation.

Hanging off towards the edge, Landon watched as traffic was being redirected elsewhere as a set of ferries went from one side of the city to the next. The agent felt bad about how their battle affected the civilians, but there was only so much that could be done. Villains didn't give a damn who got caught in the crossfire so there was only so much that heroes could do to minimize all of the collateral damage done to the city.

They were fortunate that the entire bridge didn't go down.

The Vision stepped forward, disguised in his old Jonas persona. He appeared like a typical, teenage boy that bore a strong resemblance to Nathaniel Richards, the future Kang the Conqueror. Besides that though, he did a good job at creating a solid illusion down to the familiar, Affliction clothes that were so popular.

Approaching the agent, The Vision placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to catch his attention. "There is much to be concerned for," said The Vision. "If Avatar could do that much damage without being in control of herself, we have to be worried about the full extent of her abilities. They seem beyond that of what Ms. Marvel can do."

Landon nodded his head, agreeing with The Vision as usual. It was hard to disagree with the Synthazoid since things were on the verge of getting ugly. "That girl," said Landon, "Ventus, said that The Organization tampered with Ms. Marvel's DNA further. They purposely expanded Avatar's abilities to make her deadlier then Ms. Marvel could ever be, possibly beyond Captain Marvel as well."

"What do you purpose we do to defeat her?" asked The Vision. "The Organization has already proven to us that they are powerful without revealing all of their members."

"I say we follow Billy's suggestion and use magic against her," Landon said as he turned to face The Vision. His back was now against the railing that kept him from falling into the river. He noticed that The Vision seemed surprised by this declaration. "How else can we stop her? We know that she isn't serving The Organization willingly so we have to do everything we can to free her. Besides, she might have some very valuable information on what The Organization is up to."

This time, it was The Vision's turn to agree with Landon as he went to stand beside the agent. They both found themselves looking out into the city as the persistent thought about what The Organization's goals were buzzed through their minds. It was very real fear that they needed to address since they had no idea what it was that The Organization desired.

Was it as simple as power or world domination? Or was The Organization plotting something far worse?

Questions that they wanted answer to, but had no possible chance at figuring out for the time being. Without having any more information on just where The Organization came from or even all of its members made any potential theory that they had virtually impossible to discredit or prove.

As much as it annoyed him to do so, Landon would just have to wait until an opportunity to learn more about The Organization presented itself. It meant that he was going to have to allow The Organization to run wild for a little longer though, which hurt his spy-trained brain. He had to allow this though as there was no other way for them to find out what these villains were up to.

Landon had to bite down on his tongue about this one. But the minute that The Organization made their move, he would happily be ready to take them down.

* * *

If only Tommy felt the same way. He was fuming as he ventured dangerously close to wanting to blow something up to get out some of that frustration. But that was something that he couldn't, well shouldn't, do since he was a good guy after all.

That still wasn't a comfort to Tommy since he saw Kate hugging Eli on the roof. Feeling like a fool for trusting her, Tommy wanted nothing more than to hit himself. He made it inside his bedroom though before venturing into more dangerous territory as he slammed his fist against the wall, cracking it a little in the process but doing far more damage to himself.

He cursed his stupidity in more than one way as he held onto his slightly, injured fist.

"Roid rage?"

Tommy looked to the side to see Samantha standing at his doorway. She seemed fairly comfortable now that she was dressed in civilian clothes that she borrowed from Kate. Her darker complexion became a little more obvious now that her Falcon uniform was off with her brown, curly hair bouncing as she tilted her head to the side.

Samantha remained at the doorway though as she wasn't certain about entering the speedster's private sanctuary. Heck, she felt like she was overstepping her bounds for being just at the doorway to the bedroom of someone she didn't know.

Flinching from her comment though, Tommy felt a little awkward with the newcomer there. It only helped him to feel even more like an idiot as he took a few steps closer towards his dresser with his eyes cautiously on her. His natural guard was rising as he tried to figure her out, while also dealing with his own emotional issues.

Remembering what Eli told her about the team, Samantha knew that she was going to have to be cautious around Tommy and not too be overly offended by the stupid things he said. Since she knew a little about his background, she knew now to take things to heart as she continued to keep her distance.

"What's troubling you?" asked Samantha.

"Only my girlfriend hugging her ex-boyfriend on the roof," said Tommy. "No big deal though."

Trying to play it off cool but so obviously bugged by it, Samantha saw the cliché but she tried to avoid mocking him about it. She knew what he saw though since she saw it too, but she had stuck around a little longer then he had. "You do know what the hug was about though, right?" she said, continuing to stand at the doorway. "That was a hug between two people willing to be friends again."

"They used to date," Tommy said, unsure exactly as to why he was opening up to her. "And she technically cheated on him with me."

"So you think she would cheat on you now with him?" said Samantha. "Doesn't that sound like a vicious circle?"

"If only you knew me," laughed Tommy. "My whole life is just one vicious circle. I'm just the guy who can never catch a break." Leaning further against his dresser, Tommy had a brief flash of his life, his messy life. He then thought a little about Kate and that night they broke into the Secret Avengers' base. Things could've gone a lot further then they did, but they didn't because Kate didn't want to be like that.

Tommy smacked himself in the head as he quickly realized how big of an idiot he was. As obvious as it was to him, his tortured mind just couldn't think rationally at first. He was so used to being abused and abandoned that he almost sabotaged something good.

"Kate wasn't cheating on me," Tommy said, looking down at his feet. "It was just a little closure, something she didn't get before since Eli left so quickly." This was more than a relief as he finally stepped away from the dresser and fell down on his bed. He should've known better, she should've trusted Kate and her morals a little more then he trusted himself.

Samantha started to smirk as the speedster finally pieced the puzzle together on his own. She congratulated him for not turning into a complete fool before turning away to see if she could raid some food out of the fridge before crashing out for the night.

* * *

Young Avengers' headquarters was full of teenagers the following afternoon was the team came together to discuss The Organization problem. Eli and Samantha were included as well as they were officially part of the team now. None of them wanted to turn away the two of them since they both offered skills that would be valuable to the team during this time of crisis.

The Organization was clearly a threat to the safety of the city and had already proven themselves to be vastly stronger then the Young Avengers. More team members would help to turn the tide of battle in their favor at least that was the theory.

And it would be put to the test as well. Just when the team was going over the skills set of the Elemental Trio and Avatar, the sirens began to go off, alerting them to danger.

The Vision pulled up an image of the city, using a Stark Satellite. It showed Avatar with six hooded bodies standing all around her. The streets were full of panic as the people attempted to escape from these dangerous being, which only served to tell the Young Avengers that these were more members of The Organization.

Kate ordered for everyone to suit up as they needed to be ready to do battle against The Organization.

Quickly, the team changed into clothing more appropriate for combat as they regrouped. Wiccan cast a spell to teleport them across the city towards the old, industrial area where The Organization no doubt waited for the Young Avengers to make themselves known.

A bright flash of light appeared in the city, which caught the attention of the hoods and Avatar as the Young Avengers came into view. The eight heroes kept together as they saw the six hooded figures with Avatar. Slowly, the hoods revealed themselves to the Young Avengers, unveiling three familiar faces and three new ones.

Supernova bore a grin on his face as he started to step away from his group to get closer towards the Young Avengers. Their bright, nervous faces were absolutely precious to the elder man, which soon turned to hate as he saw the dreaded mage. That bit of emotion was kept in check though as he decided to grace the young heroes with some enlightening before the battle would soon begin.

"Greetings, Young Avengers," said the elder man. "I am Supernova, leader of The Organization. It is so good to see you all here." He performed a slow bow before straightening his back up. His dark trench coat kicked back as he took a few steps closer to his enemies. "You already know of the Elemental Trio and Avatar. Now, the woman you see is called Volt, while her male companion is known as Deception. The six of us are The Organization. And, I see that Patriot has returned to the fold and brought a new addition with him. Isn't that wonderful?"

Patriot held up his star-spangled shield with an angry scowl appearing on his face. "How much do you know about us?" shouted the young, super soldier. "What are you freaks up to?"

There was a chorus of laughter that escaped The Organization with the exception being Avatar who remained perfectly silent. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua kept to the front of the line to inspire familiar fear to the Young Avengers, while knowing virtually nothing at all about Volt and Deception as they had yet to meet. Turquoise Boy tried to get The Vision and Wiccan to spot anything about them, but their thoughts were too well-guarded for Wiccan's magic to invade and The Vision couldn't sense anything unusual.

However, The Vision was able to notify them that Aqua, Ventus, and Terra were Mutants.

"It's not a simple as you may wish," said Supernova. "We seek to awaken power, the ultimate power in the universe. We perform the will of the force that exceeds all limitations that has existed long before even the Beyonder, Galactus, and the Phoenix Force."

Conveniently enough, storm clouds began to gather overhead as the words escaped from Supernova's mouth. The villain kept his eyes on the Young Avengers as he noticed the agitated looks on their faces from what he had to say. He knew, it was painfully obvious, that the heroes wanted more information so why not give them a little.

Still, secrets needed to be kept like just whom it was that The Organization served. Supernova was the only one who knew the entity by the name, while the rest of his associates knew it only as the Master.

Wiccan felt the air thicken as chaotic energy began to swirl. He was able to see the source of this energy was Supernova as he started to notice that the man was a magic user as well. He tried to warn the rest of the team about this only for a blast of energy being immediately hurled out of Supernova's hand that would soon strike the team.

The Young Avengers quickly started to spread apart, while Wiccan erected a shield to defend himself from Supernova's attack.

As the blue wall of magic saved him, Wiccan was in for a surprise as Supernova would come after him. The young mage would call on his magic to empower himself to brace himself from the incoming attack that the silver headed man was about to deliver.

Chaotic magic rippled against the wall, which caused Wiccan to stagger back under Supernova's sheer force of will. Wiccan felt the chaos magic summoned by Supernova, but knew damn well that this magic did not belong to him, not a drop of it. The magic had a demonic taste to it, something that sent shivers down Wiccan's spine.

Supernova knew that today would be the opportunity that he was waiting for. He would have the chance to kill the scourge that would derail his Master's return. All he needed to do was kill the spawn of the witch and everything will prosper under the rule of his master.

"You hold no real power, boy," mocked Supernova. "The mutant magic that sired you does not hold a candle to the powers of my master for he is absolute!"

Wiccan withheld the overwhelming might of Supernova's assault, attempting with all his might to stand strong. The blue, mystical energy poured out from his hands to support him, but not even that might be enough to defeat his foe. "Don't insult my mother," Wiccan growled as he tried to push more magic into his attack. "I will not allow someone as repulsive as you to defeat me! If I could stand up to Doctor Doom then I can fight you!"

"Didn't do crush you?" laughed Supernova as their magics collision rippled.

Their equal, mystical energies created a ripple effect that easily shot them both away from each other.

* * *

Hulkling would attempt to rescue Wiccan only to be blocked off by Avatar. The girl would put herself between Hulkling and Wiccan as she latched onto the hybrid with her arms, pushing him into the wall of a nearby building with her impressive strength. Hulkling would struggle to break free when another pair of hands pulled him away from Avatar's grip, which he soon saw belonged to The Vision.

Frustrated by this, Hulkling would burst away from The Vision to make his way after Avatar. His wings were fully spread open as he finally got within range to his out of control target. Clenching his fists, he knew that he was going to break the rules that his mom gave him, but this situation was going to require him to do far more.

"I'm sorry that you're mind is being controlled, but I won't let you stand in my way!" shouted the teenage hybrid. As The Vision flew in for support, Hulkling used his training to dive away from Avatar's incoming fist to deliver a fist of his own across her face. He hit the girl hard against the face before using his second fist to hit her in the gut.

Her Kree abilities were already healing her, but for the moment she was stunned. Hulkling really had to keep laying it on her to keep her body healing and incapable of doing much else as The Vision took the hint. The alien boy felt really bad about this as he continued to pummel Avatar as he embraced the fury he felt for being so easily beaten by her.

Hulkling's constant blows left their mark on Avatar, keeping her too dazed to even attempt to fight back. However, it wasn't all because of him that she was like this. The battle was straining the mental wards that Supernova and Deception had on her, allowing the girl to resist the control that The Organization had over her. She was allowing Hulkling to fight her and win so that she might be able to regain full control over her body.

With one more blow, Hulkling sent Avatar towards the ground, half-conscious.

The Vision would catch the falling girl since it wasn't the intention of the Young Avengers to do irreparable damage. Instead, he sent a few electrical jolts into her system that would keep her knocked out, ideally for the remainder of the battle. Once this hurdle was crossed then they would attempt to find a solution to break her free from The Organization's control, permanently. And if they couldn't then they'd deal with that problem then.

Either way, this meant that they had one less foe to fight.

* * *

On the ground, Patriot would cross paths with Terra as the earth-bender stomped his foot on the ground to create a minor earthquake. Patriot would use his super soldier abilities to avoid getting hit as he leaped into the air as he prepared to drop his shield on Terra's head.

Terra ducked from the blow with his feet being pulled by the ground to take him someplace safer. He watched as Patriot landed smoothly before springing back into a fight. With his thick skin, Terra held up his arms to shield himself from Patriot's weapon, to neutralize the damage that would be done.

Patriot was getting a bit frustrated as he threw himself back a few feet to avoid an incoming fist from the muscular, young man. His leaner form was able to assist him to avoid getting hit, but it also meant that his attacks didn't quite last against the Mutant. And here he thought that Wanda had a stripped all but a couple hundred Mutants of their powers. It seemed that more of the bad ones were left with their powers then the good ones.

Terra was like a bull as he charged towards Patriot to lay a heavy blow on him. Patriot would guard this attack with his shield, but he really felt the burn of it as the attack nearly knocked him down. Instead, it left Terra's right rib vulnerable, which Patriot would exploit with a sharp kick. The blow really left a mark on him, but Terra would fight through the pain to grab Patriot by his face and fling the youth against a nearby wall as punishment. Terra would then drop down to his knees, feeling the pain cripple him as Patriot began to rapidly heal.

* * *

The wind was a mess as Lady Falcon was busy flying after Ventus. The two, young women were airborne as they tried to attack each other, while the mess continued to go on below them. Lady Falcon flung a few of her explosive arrows after Ventus only to have them blocked by a current of wind summoned by the air-bender.

Ventus manipulated the wind currents to do her bidding to put more distance between herself and a determined Lady Falcon. She had to admit that she was impressed by the little Falcon, but that wasn't enough to earn her full respect. Turning the currents against her foe, Ventus would create a powerful gust of wind that would catch Lady Falcon's wings.

The plan proved to be successful as Lady Falcon started to lose control of her flight. She tried to fight through the burden, but found it difficult as Ventus applied more of her mutant abilities. Becoming all the more vicious, Lady Falcon was becoming a little desperate as the wind pulled her down towards the ground.

Refusing to be so easily beaten, Lady Falcon fought through Ventus's currents until she proved successful. The second that she became free then she would fly back high, quickly while Ventus was still surprised to smack the mutant with her fist. The blow would catch Ventus off her guard, sending her reeling back in the air.

Streaks of lightning flickered through the air as Hawkeye avoided getting hit by Volt's electricity. The Middle Eastern woman charged after the trained warrior with the front of her black coat being pulled open by the air, exposing a form-fitted undershirt. Hawkeye would attempt to stop the electrical mistress by shooting a freezing arrow after her only to have Volt shoot it apart with a full blast of electrical might.

* * *

Hawkeye kept moving back as Volt threw herself forward to smash the ground with a burst of electrical shocks. The moment that happened, Hawkeye threw herself into the air to avoid getting shocked to death when she landed on top of a manhole cover. The young archer drew another arrow to fire at Volt, which would prove a little more effective then the last since this one was a smoke bomb.

Volt would shoot down the arrow, unleashing a smoke cloud that would grant Hawkeye some cover to go in after her foe. Volt would have to fight through her blindness to find out where it was that Hawkeye would appear to next.

As she cast shocks of electricity from her body, Hawkeye wouldn't be that afraid of Volt as she maneuvered through the webs. She would then exploit the armor that she wore, which insulated electricity, to smash her leg against Volt's face to knock down the villain with a single blow.

* * *

Turquoise Boy jumped on top of a broken mailbox to grant him a bit of height as he avoided getting hit by Deception. He was successful in avoiding getting hit, but he wasn't about to be saved as Deception already had a trick to deal with the young agent.

Deception brought his arm up into the air, creating flickers of energy to be conjured before them. Illusion wasn't the only ability that Deception wielded, he also displayed the ability of projection which allowed him to manifest more than just illusions. In this case, he projected bolts of energy that he would fling after Turquoise Boy since he knew just what to expect from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, after all, he did infiltrate that intelligence group.

Feeling the sting of the attack, Turquoise Boy was left feeling stunned as he buckled down to one knee. Deception moved in for the kill to eliminate his opponent only for Turquoise Boy to turn the tide of their fight.

Turquoise Boy activated the Taser function of his gloves as he had hoped that Deception would make this move. The moment that Deception was within range, Turquoise Boy reacted in a way that would take the villain down. Deception brought the back of his heeled boot down with his coat swaying from the motion as he attempted to crush the agent's skull.

Instead, Turquoise Boy would catch Deception by the back of his ankle to trigger a mighty shock that coursed throughout Deception's body. Although not immediately lethal, Deception was as good as dead weight now that the gloves left their mark on him.

* * *

Lastly, Speed found himself tangled in a splash fight with Aqua. The speedster had to deal with the water-bender hurling waves of water at him, which were summoned from nearby pipes and the river. When Speed attempted to run away from the water to get in close, Aqua would react by freezing the water to slip the speedster up enough to create a mess.

Feeling that his chances of winning were getting a little unrealistic, Speed knew that he would have to up the anty to make it out of this one. As Aqua created icicle roadblocks, Speed had to respond quickly by swerving around the spikes to make it closer towards the water-bender. Speed was trying to push to make it, but Aqua would pull the ice apart to create a wave of water that would wrap itself around the speedster.

The lack of air was the first thing to catch Speed's attention, but he soon lost his equilibrium for good measure. The constant churn of the water was starting to make Speed a little nauseous as he tried to break free of this trap.

Aqua seemed to be having a blast with this play thing as he condensed the water into a ball. That would be the biggest mistake that Aqua would make with Speed. It was bad enough for him to be trapped, but to be contained in such a closed space was very insulting to Speed and invoked a challenge that Aqua had no idea how to address.

Speed unleashed his secondary abilities, triggering an explosion that burst the water apart. Aqua couldn't have seen this one coming neither did he see Speed blurring towards him to nearly knock him out with a single, blinding punch, which also bore a joyous smirk from the speedster.

* * *

Recovered from the previous attack, Wiccan was back on his feet as he fought against Supernova for another round. Their colliding magic was growing unstable, but this time Wiccan knew what to expect from his chaos-mage opponent.

Wiccan hurled his magical force after Supernova, channeling more magic then he had thought he possibly could without venturing into a complete loss of control. Losing control was not an option for them, keeping that control but summoning more power was. The younger mage was nearly completely blue as his hands waved off a magical rune that heightened his abilities enough to shatter through a chain of chaotic magic that was summoned by Supernova.

A full blast of blue magic was powerful enough to cancel out the opposing magic. This came to Wiccan as a relief, but remembered that the battle wasn't over. Now, Wiccan brought both of his hands together just as Supernova appeared drained to shoot a force of a magic from both of his hands that would immediately crash against The Organization's leader. This would prove to completely stun the villain as well as sending him flying back towards a particular warehouse where the other members of The Organization had been pushed back to.

Exhausted but still willing to fight, Wiccan found himself rejoined by the rest of the Young Avengers. Each one appeared to be more tired than the last, but the eight of them would continue to hang tough, especially own that The Vision was carrying a defeated Avatar.

The presence of their defeated weapon did not go unnoticed by Supernova. In fact, he appeared to be absolutely infuriated as he stepped away from his group, losing that stagger he had a moment ago. Supernova almost seemed to not be in any pain at all, despite the fact that he took a full blast of Wiccan's magic to the chest.

A normal opponent would've been severally weakened by such a spell, but not Supernova, not someone with as high resistance as he did.

The other members of The Organization began to stir more so then they did before. The five of them gathered behind their leader, bearing the injuries left behind by their opponents, but did not appear as weak as they did a moment ago. In fact, they appeared to be healed of the pain that once afflicted them, but that had to have been impossible. Wiccan or The Vision would've sensed such healing magic to be cast unless…unless The Organization had been toying with them.

Supernova would be the one to answer this as he whipped the blood off his lip. "Well done, Young Avengers. It seems that you're not as pathetic as we had originally expected," laughed the villain. "You are stronger then you had originally appeared to be. However, we are far superior to you all then we originally let on. We have yet to even display our true potential."

To prove his point, Supernova would use his chaotic magic to ignite the building behind him with unquenchable flames. It was done so without saying a spell or even moving his hand, a fee that not even Wiccan had gotten close to accomplishing. This struck a chord in the Young Avengers' hearts as they watched the building crumble to ash before them.

The building was gone almost as quickly as it had caught aflame.

"Impossible," whispered Patriot.

"No," said The Vision, "that is the power of dark magic."

Wiccan agreed with the Synthazoid as he continued to sense the dark magic that was left in the air. It felt to be almost like a virus, one that was burrowing its way into his lungs until he found it difficult to breath. So much so that it felt like his body was burning in agony as it tried to force this toxin out of his body. All of which went unnoticed by the others as the mage took a few steps back.

"Magic is simply power," growled Supernova. "Dark magic and chaos magic is merely an extension of that power. I have been anointed by my Master's power, granting myself and the rest of The Organization strength that you can never hope to comprehend. Not even those pathetic heroes who quarrel over the Phoenix Force could even begin to measure the powers of our Master."

Supernova conjured more magic to create a violent storm that began to attack the city. Rain came down in buckets as lightning streaked across the sky. "The Phoenix is a sign of things to come, of the destruction that will befall man as our Master is awakened!" Supernova yelled above the howling wind. "And as the Avengers and X-Men continue to destroy each other then it only ensures that our Master will have none to oppose him! The Source shall rise!"

The mere mention of that name sent Wiccan over the edge. His mind went completely blank as he ignored all thoughts about the Phoenix Force or the war between the Avengers and X-Men. All that concerned him was the name, The Source. It was something that inspired fear and anger inside his heart, which left Wiccan screaming at the top of his lungs.

This is where the loss of control kicked in. Wiccan's body would become completely illuminated by blue magic as he felt something dangerous stirring within him. It caused concern amongst the Young Avengers and The Organization as they tried to understand just what was happening.

Only neither party would get the chance as Wiccan ceased screaming with his eyes glowing pure white. The young mage broke away from his team with the magic flowing through him and breaking through the storm that Supernova had summoned as he pointed a finger at The Organization.

"_Go away_," chanted a magically possessed Wiccan. "_Send them far. Banish them from my sight. May my words penetrate the air as my magic makes you leave this place._"

The spell created its desired effect as the magic evaporated from Wiccan's body. The spell struck The Organization all at once. Not even Supernova could throw a counter spell as Wiccan's magic caused The Organization to be scrambled away from sight.

Wiccan nearly passed out before Turquoise Boy and Patriot could catch him. The mage felt utterly exhausted as he mumbled incoherent words to his friends before passing out completely.

As he became useless, Hawkeye turned towards Hulkling and Speed with a look of worry written on her face. None of them had any idea how Wiccan was able to use so powerful magic to banish The Organization away from them, effectively ending the fight, but it left a bitter taste in their mouths.

The presence of such a powerful enemy in the middle of a superhero war was bad enough without Wiccan losing control of his magic once more.

* * *

END! Remember, 3 Reviews equals an update!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I finally got the third review necessary to update the story. I was serious about the three reviews policy. I have two more chapters waiting to be posted so if you want to know what's gonna happen next I suggest that you all get to reviewing! Then I'll love you extra! Haha. I hope you all enjoy the chapter so read and review!  
**

**Guilty Conscious:**

_Everything ached as I dropped to my knees. I would've fallen further and harder had I not felt the arms of my friends lift me up. I don't even know who it was that helped me; all I knew was that I felt myself slipping into oblivion as my mind was melting._

_Supernova did this…or at least he was partly to blame for this reaction._

_My heart felt tense as I felt trouble trickling throughout every nerve in my body. The magic that crawled to the surface was not something I should be able to use. I should've never been able to cast a spell like that to banish The Organization. Something was happening to me, I was certain that somehow my powers were changing again. They were evolving into something I just couldn't understand how._

_Why were my powers changing now? Why did hearing that name The Source provoke such a force to strike me? There is something that connects all of this together, but I just couldn't understand it for the time being. I had to find someone to help me, someone who knew how magic worked. _

_If what The Organization said about the Avengers and X-Men was true then I couldn't turn to my mother for help. She would be too busy dealing with the problems that had arisen from the return of the Phoenix Force. I had to find someone else who could help. Luckily I already had someone in mind as I tried to say his name to my friends._

_But they couldn't hear me; I couldn't even hear myself as I faded away completely. _

_There was nothing but emptiness that waited for me as my mind shut itself down as I slumped against the aid of my friends._

* * *

In the aftermath of the battle against The Organization, the Young Avengers needed to figure out what they were going to do about Wiccan and Avatar. Due to the dark magicks placed over her, the heroes understood that they were going to need to find someone to reverse the spells so to help Avatar return to her normal self. But since their only magic user was unconscious due to some powerful magic that he used against their enemies, they were going to have to look elsewhere for assistance.

But that is why they were fortunate enough to know more than one sorcerer.

Speed stepped forward as Hulkling carried Wiccan in his arms with Patriot carrying Avatar on his back, both of whom were unconscious. He knew where they needed to go as he spotted it out to his friends. "We're going to see Doctor Strange," he told them all. "We need to go to the Sanctum Sanctorum if we're going to be able to help them."

"Do you know where that's at?" Hawkeye asked.

"Yeah," said Speed. "Wanda told me just in case something might happen and we need a powerful sorcerer to help us. Since Billy decided to go all super witch on us, I think we're going to need Doctor Strange's help on this one."

The rest of them were all in agreement as they made their way out of the city to follow Speed to the lair of the former Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.

Greenwich Village wasn't too far from where they were right now, but it was longer since they had two unconscious bodies to worry about. The Young Avengers hurried across the city though to make certain that Wiccan's spell didn't wear off with The Organization arriving sooner than they expected. The spell that their friend cast raised plenty of questions, something that only Wiccan or Doctor Strange could answer for them.

They all understood why they needed Doctor Strange's help. He was the only sorcerer powerful enough to break the spell that The Organization placed over Avatar's mind. Supernova and the others made it perfectly clear that Avatar was serving them against their will. If they could free her and allow her to be her own woman then that would lay a serve blow against their enemies. Next, the concern over Wiccan's powers was raised yet again. They had thought that they were passed that hurdle, but it appears that their friend's powers were growing still, which meant that they may have to turn to more drastic means if they couldn't get the sorcerer to teach him how to control his powers.

Speed, Hulkling, and the others were sure of Doctor Strange's abilities to help. Yes, Wiccan had informed them that Doctor Strange wasn't the same sorcerer that he had been a few years ago. Losing the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, it caused Doctor Strange to lose some of the powers that made him so great. But they were sure that he was still powerful enough to do some good or at least able to help Wiccan to the point where he could accomplish the magical task on his own.

Wandering down the Greenwich Village, the Young Avengers came to a stop at 177A Bleecker Street. The team was aware of a supervillain invasion led by The Hood that had pulverized the Sanctum Sanctorum so they were surprised to see the place was still standing. Since they knew what to look for, the reestablished magical wards allowed the Young Avengers to see the lair for what it truly was.

Beyond a simple home that was under construction, the Sanctum Sanctorum appeared like a large, almost-medieval mansion that caused many of them to gasp in shock. Lady Falcon was amongst the louder ones as she approached the long steps that led to the double-set of doors.

As the team got closer, the doors opened themselves as a older man stepped forward.

He was of Oriental descent, dressed very properly as well as he left the inside of the mansion. The young heroes stopped in their tracks as this bald man turned to look at each of them before nodding his head at them. "Please enter, Young Avengers," said the elder man. "The doctor has been expecting you for some time. The Scarlet Witch has informed us that you may be in need of our services."

The Young Avengers ascended up the steps once more with Hulkling beginning to explain what happened with Wiccan and Avatar only to be cut off. The assistant to Doctor Strange, Wong, told the young heroes not to worry. Wong told them to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum for their safety and so that they could tend to those injuries.

Wong assured the heroes that their questions would be answered in due time. "But first," said the elder man, "the Doctor must see to Wiccan and the girl. They are the top priority at the moment."

None of them disagreed as they followed Wong inside the Sanctum Sanctorum where they would finally have some of their concerns addressed.

* * *

Flickers of light gathered at a bridge that overlooked the Niagara Falls. The lights condensed together until they perfectly formed the bodies of the members of The Organization. The six villains fell to the ground with some of them landing rougher than others as the effects of Wiccan's spell had worn off.

The boy had transported them across the state in a display of out-of-control magic. It was frustrating and insulting to them, but it showed just how powerful that the boy was becoming.

Supernova especially saw the danger in this. Since he knew the full extent of the prophecy and Wiccan's connection to the Source, it was becoming a problem. The magic that the witch wielded was a danger to the ultimate objective of The Organization, which meant that something drastic needed to be done to dispose of him. The direct approach had failed so Nova needed to decided something a little more creative if he was going to break the witch boy.

Rising up from the ground, Aqua felt his head feeling a little airy as he stumbled against Terra's larger form. The spell left him scattered brained so much so that he was hardly paying attention to just where he was going when he felt Terra grab him just before he could fall over the railing of the bridge.

Ventus snapped her shoulder back into the place since Wiccan's spell didn't leave it exactly in the right place. It wasn't physically damaged or dislocated, but it just had a little crook that needed to be taken care of which she did with a sigh of relief. Feeling back to normal now, she was able to relax as she took in the beautiful scenery while the rest of them were fuming.

Deception found himself being aided by Volt to get back up on his feet. The couple stayed beside each other, keeping close as they turned to see that Nova was on the verge of a meltdown that no doubt would end poorly for their group.

It was then that that they realized that Avatar wasn't with them. The five, young members all turned to Supernova who was well aware of that fact and humiliation as his shoulders tensed up as he grabbed onto the bridge's railing to burn it with his chaotic flames.

"The Young Avengers are becoming a problem," growled Supernova. "The Son of the Witch has shown that his magic continues to grow unregulated. He must be defeated if our Master is to seize control over this world from the hands of mankind."

Where it was usually Aqua who would question their leader, this time it was Deception who would step up for the group. The young man stepped aside from his place beside Volt as he took a dangerous step closer towards their leader. "Yet you still will not explain the boy's significance to us!" said Deception. "How can we fight someone if we do not know what we're fighting? How is this boy significant in preventing or harming our Master's return? Why must we fear him, Nova? We have the right to know this."

Nova spun around to look at his dissenters. The Organization was growing impatient that much was certain as each member gathered around in support of Deception's words. The boldness amongst them would've lead to their deaths in another age. It was fortunate for them that Nova could not afford to find new members in a time such as now, not when The Source's return was so close.

"Wiccan, Billy Kaplan, is tied to our Master," said Nova. "There is a prophecy that foretells our Master's return to this world will come with death and destruction. It also speaks of a boy with the powers of sorcery, born from nexus of pure magic, and carrying a fragment of unspeakable power within his soul. This boy will be the only force in the universe that can defeat our Master, and that boy is the Young Avenger Wiccan. By killing him then and only then can we assure our Master's dominance over this world and be rewarded in return."

Silence followed as the five of them understood that there was far more that Supernova was withholding from them. Learning that their Master was a force of death and destruction meant that their cause wasn't as righteous as they had originally expected. But Supernova wasn't willing to release anymore secrets that would be of actual value to them. At least now they could at least see the bigger picture and see the outline of what Supernova was dragging them into.

Aqua felt the most resilient to all of this due to the lack of time and connection he had to The Organization. He could only remain still and silent as the others began to gather closer towards Supernova in order to formulate a new strategy to deal with the Young Avengers problem.

* * *

Appearing before the Young Avengers was none other than the master of the Sanctum Sanctorum, the former Sorcerer Supreme of the realm, Doctor Stephen Strange. He was a fairly tall man with his bodied covered by red and blue robes that kept him covered well as he stood in his study with the gray streaks in his dark hair becoming noticeable against the lighting. The powerful sorcerer did not appear as intimidating as his titles made one believe, but that didn't exactly meant the Young Avengers weren't concerned as Wong led Hulkling and Patriot to relinquish their companions.

Wong brought Hulkling to a sofa where he could safely place the unconscious Wiccan on top of. Hulkling would remain by Wiccan's side as Doctor Strange had Patriot bring Avatar to a table where he could fully examine her.

The sorcerer's hands began to ignite with mystical energy as he placed them above the head of the young girl. The Young Avengers, minus Hulkling and Wiccan, gathered around to see just what it was that he was doing. Since they weren't familiar with the more advanced forms of magic this was a complete mystery to them, but they were soon about to learn more than they had originally expected.

"There is so much dark energy clouding her mind," said Doctor Strange. "I can sense pure, chaotic magic ensnaring her innocent hopes and dreams, locking away the girl's true persona thus turning her into a mindless slave. But there is more. There are simpler, mental blocks that had been established to weaken her willpower that are strengthened by the dark magic. You were right to bring her to me. With enough concentration, I should be able to break her free from this spell."

Hawkeye stepped closer, examining the pained girl on the table as Avatar seem to shift uncomfortably from the powers at work. The young woman wasn't sure if Avatar was in pain because of what happened during the battle or from what The Organization had done to her. Hoping for the best, Hawkeye prayed that Avatar's pain came from The Organization, not because of their actions.

"So she is an innocent," said Lady Falcon. "She isn't our enemy?"

Doctor Strange shook his head as his hands continued to illuminate with mystical energy. Already, he was constructing a counter spell with what power that he could wield to break Avatar free from the grip of The Organization. "She need not be, young Falcon," said the sorcerer. "If my spells are powerful enough, which they should be, then the world could very well become a safer place should she decided to use abilities for good." Strengthening his spell, the sorcerer was able to detect the strongest swell of dark magic. He used his powers to break through those defenses in order to accomplish his task. "I am surprised that you were able to face such a threat, Young Avengers. I have sensed the disturbance by what those villains brought, but I never imagined their power was this great."

The magic around the sorcerer persisted to grow stronger as it raised new heights. Lines of worry began to form on his forehead as he pushed his magic into freeing Avatar, but soon felt his will waning. The powers of this mysterious Organization were far stronger then he had originally foreseen. No longer with the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange knew that this task would only be that much more difficult.

"Do you know anything about The Organization?" asked Speed. "Have you been watching us for long?"

"Not for long and I know nothing about this Organization, I'm afraid," said the sorcerer as he continued his work. "The Organization is a new force, or an ancient one, I cannot tell, but I am certain that the magic afoot comes from old magic. The source of these spells is old, older than many spells I've come across during my career."

"Yes," said Wong, "I sense that too. Something is different about this Organization."

"Is there anything you can tell me?" asked Doctor Strange. "Is there anything about the battle that stands out that I might be able to use for my research? Wanda told of Wiccan's vision before she left, but I have not been able to make sense of it."

There was a pause for a long while as the Young Avengers tried to piece this together. Patriot and Lady Falcon felt fairly useless since they had only been a part of the team recently, too recently to really understand the mess with The Organization.

Hawkeye, The Vision, Speed, and Turquoise Boy all looked at each other but each one appeared to be equally puzzled. They couldn't seem to figure out just what it was about The Organization that seemed relevant. They did mention the abilities of each member of the villainous team, but it wasn't enough to really give Doctor Strange anything to go with.

At least until Hulkling pried himself away from Wiccan long enough to join the rest of his team. The alien boy stood closer towards the table where Doctor Strange continued to work on Avatar as he tried to give the doctor a piece of information. "Their leader is a magic user too," said Hulkling. "Billy seemed to be really afraid of him; he said that the man wielded chaotic magic. But I don't think that's the most important thing, the man said that The Organization served somebody called The Source."

"Oh yeah!" said Patriot. "I remember now. He didn't really give much detail, but he said that The Source would rise because of the Phoenix Force's return to Earth."

"But just what is that supposed to mean though?" said Turquoise Boy. "Does that narrow down what The Source might be at all, Doctor Strange?"

"Possibly," said the sorcerer. "This Source, if he's the source of anything then it is reason to believe that we're dealing with an ancient power. The question now becomes just what is The Source the source of?

"Maybe she'll know," The Vision said, looking down at Avatar. "She has been part of The Organization, she might know who The Source is or at least what they hope to accomplish.

Avatar's skin radiated against the effects of Doctor Strange's spell as everyone seemed to agree on that. They all watched as slowly Avatar began to stir as the spell truly left its mark as it began to erode against the walls erected by The Organization. It was taking its time, but as they continued to speak, Avatar was able to hear just what it was that they were discussing as she returned to reality.

Chanting a final chain of spells, Doctor Strange poured what more energy he could unleash into Avatar's body. The spell caused her entire body to illuminate as a black mist was crushed before the powerful spell of the former Sorcerer Supreme. Avatar briefly began to gasp for air as she finally opened her eyes, free from the spell and hold of The Organization.

Avatar immediately sprung forward as she took in her new surroundings. Frightened at first as she found herself surrounded by occult objects in a bizarrely decorated home, she appeared even more astonished as she saw that the Young Avengers stood all around her. What should've been her immediate reaction was to simply get out of there, but she didn't as she knew she had no place to go and she didn't want to run the risk of being captured by The Organization a second time.

"It is alright, child," Doctor Strange said, leaning towards her. "You are safe here. You are among friends now. I have freed you from the dark magic that had kept you a slave."

"I'm free?" Avatar said softly as she looked at her hands. She was shaking as it began to dawn to her that she truly was free. She had complete control over her body again as she did just a year before all the cruel experiments began, which came as a welcome wave of relief for her.

Her joy was so strong that it brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't help but to weep as she felt her freedom become overwhelming as Doctor Strange helped her down from the table. Avatar looked around to look at the Young Avengers when she noticed that Wiccan was still unconscious on the couch as Hulkling continued to tend to him.

For a second, her heart skipped a beat as she feared the worst. She took a few steps towards him to see that Wiccan was still breathing; he was simply exhausted from the strains of the battle. This provided more relief for her as she turned back around to stare at all of them whom all appeared concerned by her silence.

"My name is Mulan Ming," said Avatar. "Thank you for your help, all of you. I owe you my life."

"We had to help you," said Hawkeye. "We couldn't just allow you to suffer after learning that The Organization was using you as a puppet. It would've been unethical of us to leave you to suffer and continue to call ourselves heroes."

Mulan started to smile as she felt grateful for this. The Young Avengers were far kinder then she could've possibly imagined when she looked back at Wiccan then to the sorcerer that had broken the spell on her. "I think I might be able to help," she said, softly. "I still remember some of the things that The Organization said while I was still under their control. Their leader, Supernova, wanted to kill the mage, Wiccan. He really wanted me to kill him."

Hulkling immediately sprang to his feet and could've possibly gone after Mulan, which he didn't since he was honorable, but Doctor Strange still erected a spell to keep him from going much further than he did. The alien teenager was almost locked in place as he stood on the opposite side of the sofa right behind where Mulan stood.

Knowing why the sorcerer did this, Hulkling paused to give some of his anger time to defuse. How else was he supposed to react when he heard that somebody wanted his fiancé dead above all else? "Why did he want Billy dead?" he asked Mulan. "What threat could Billy possibly offer?"

"I'm not sure exactly how," Mulan said, appearing not to be frightened by the Kree-Skrull hybrid. In fact, she stood oddly proud as she regained some of her confidence and strength now that the spell was just a memory now. "Supernova made it clear though that Wiccan is a threat to their plans. He believes that Wiccan's magic will prevent The Organization from being able to restore their master to this world."

"And this master would be The Source," said Doctor Strange. "Interesting, I have to research this now. I will see if I can find any information. Wong, why don't you make certain that our guests are comfortable for the time being? If Billy wakes up soon do notify me, there are some things I need to discuss with him."

Keeping that a secret for the time being, Doctor Strange vanished from sight as he ventured into his personal library. It was in there that Wong informed the Young Avengers was where the sorcerer kept his most private and powerful texts and relics. They became hopeful now that they just might be able to pick up something about The Organization and their mysterious master.

While Wong disappeared as well to prepare some drinks and snacks for them to have, the Young Avengers turned their attention to Mulan for the moment. All except Hulkling, who continued to watch over Wiccan whom was now sleeping soundly on the sofa. The small mage draped his cape over himself to serve as a blanket as he used that to keep warm. This comforted Hulkling some as he knew that Wiccan would be alright now as he even attempted to turn his attention on their innocent for the day.

Hawkeye carefully approached Mulan as she drew seats out for the both of them. She started to gently ask questions about this mysterious girl in attempt to get to know her and to find out just why she had been selected by The Organization.

Mulan accepted the chair as the other members of the Young Avengers anxiously awaited her response.

It all started two years ago, according to Mulan. She was originally from China; she had lived there with her parents, older brother, and older sister. Things were peaceful for them, her father made good money, and she had dreams of becoming a doctor. Mulan went on about how happy she had been during that time and how close she had been to her family.

As she continued, the story took a darker turn. During one of his sale assignments, Mulan explained that her father brought in a mysterious man to the house. Her father was supposed to convince him to purchase some new product that his company had created, but the stranger wasn't interested in the product. Instead, this man revealed himself to be Supernova and he abducted the entire family.

Supernova brought the Ming family to The Organization's headquarters were he started to perform his experiments. Almost immediately, Supernova killed Mulan's parents since they were of the least value to him. From then on, the experiments involved the children being cruelly injected with various serums and operated on by strange devices.

Mulan could still remember all of the probing and pain she was forced to shoulder. She recounted all of her screams, the screams that she shared with her brother and sister. As time continued, Mulan's older sister just died from the stress of the experiments. She wasn't strong enough to withstand the burden placed by the experiments so she just died overnight. It hurt Mulan and her brother gravely, but Supernova continued his work.

Time greatly slowed down to where Mulan wasn't sure how long they had been captive when she finally lost her brother. The experiments seemed to have been working on him. Her brother displayed the abilities that Supernova coveted, however, something happened between her brother and Supernova one day that left him scarred. In just a few days, her strong, elder brother lost the will to live as he kept his distance from her. He would mumble mindless babble all day and at night then he'd thrash about in the small bed that they had been given.

When the stress was too much, her brother used the powers that Supernova gave him to kill himself. He blew himself to pieces while Mulan had been asleep. She didn't know what happened to her brother until morning when she discovered his blood on her body.

After that, Mulan stopped caring as her abilities grew. Once Supernova was satisfied by the results that was when he brought her before The Organization. Immediately after that, the hypnotism and spells began. To make sure that she wouldn't commit suicide like her brother did or erode from the stress, The Organization made certain to turn her into their mindless doll.

"I've been their slave since then," said Mulan. "Supernova wanted to use me like a weapon of mass destruction. The powers that he forced upon me, Ms. Marvel's powers, are unnatural. The reason he chose my family was supposedly because were resilient enough to bear the burden. My brother and sister couldn't survive the stress, but I did and my reward was being turned into a monster."

Tears ran down her cheeks as she thought back to all the pain. The vicious experiments done to her would leave scars over her heart for the remainder of her life.

For now though, she could only weep before the Young Avengers. Lady Falcon would attempt to help the young girl, but Mulan was too withdrawn for the time being to even allow such comfort to be bestowed upon her. The pain of the past and the weight of her sins were catching up to Mulan in a way that she wished that she could just forget.

* * *

In the hour that followed Mulan's story, the Young Avengers found themselves scattered in the parlor room that Doctor Strange had left them behind in. Wong has since then provided them with snacks and refreshment as they recovered from their battle against The Organization. As they waited to hear back from the good doctor, Wiccan would finally awaken from the sofa as he struggled to pry himself up from the cushions.

Soreness began to riddle Wiccan's body as he fell back on the sofa and found himself feeling mildly paralyzed. The strain of the spell that he cast against The Organization had left its mark on him as he felt utterly exhausted. Hulkling immediately sprang to Wiccan's side as he gently helped his lover up. He sat down on the sofa now with Wiccan leaning against his larger physique as the other Young Avengers began to gather around him.

"What happened?" Wiccan asked as he noticed their new surroundings. "And where the hell are we?"

"The Sanctum Sanctorum," said Hulkling, "we brought you to see Doctor Strange after the battle. He was able to break Mulan free from The Organization's control and he's now doing research on The Organization's master."

"Who's Mulan?" asked Wiccan. "I'm pretty sure we're not talking about the Disney character."

"That would be me," said the newcomer.

Getting it now, Wiccan let out a lengthy oh as he found himself leaning further against Hulkling's arm. He was glad that Doctor Strange was able to help her, which prompted him to ask how long they had been there.

Speed was as blunt as ever by telling his twin that they'd been there for a few hours. He went on to say that Wiccan had been sleeping the entire time, making himself completely useless to the cause. And as soon as he spoke, Hawkeye drove her elbow into his side to get him to shut up just as a pair doors opened up down the hall.

The Young Avengers turned their heads back to see Doctor Strange returning to them.

The sorcerer spotted the young heroes and noticed that Wiccan had finally woken up. He was pleased to see this, especially since he made some headway that would be valuable for them all.

"Hello Doctor," Wiccan said to the elder sorcerer. "It is an honor to see you again."

"I thought I told you to just call me Stephen, William?" said the sorcerer. "There is no need for such formalities between you and I, we are both powerful mages. Plus, you have proven yourself on more than one occasion to be a worthy ally. I do owe you a debt of gratitude for assisting me in defeating The Hood when my powers were in danger."

Wiccan remembered that day exactly as he felt himself go into shock when Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, personally sought out a meeting with the young mage. They had ended up in a diner in Manhattan where the elder sorcerer interviewed him since the time was coming where Doctor Strange would be forced to relinquish his powers as Sorcerer Supreme due to his reliance of dark magic. Due to Wiccan being one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world, he was a potential candidate to become Sorcerer Supreme.

However, his youth showed the doctor that Wiccan was not up to the task of becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, at least not yet. As they prepared to leave, the criminal mastermind, The Hood attacked Doctor Strange in hopes of stealing the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme for himself. Wiccan fought alongside Doctor Strange, saving the Sorcerer Supreme's life as they fended off The Hood's initial attack which eventually led to the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme transferring to Brother Voodoo only to sacrifice his own life to save the world a year later.

"It was my honor to help you," said Wiccan. "Stephen, is there anything you can tell us about The Organization?"

"I'm afraid not," said Doctor Strange. "There are no records of such a group, but there is something that might be of interest to you. Thanks to Mulan, I have learned of the danger you are in, Billy, and I may have an idea of whom The Organization's master might be."

Wiccan asked why he was in danger, which prompted his friends to explain what Mulan had told them. When he heard that The Organization was seeking his death in order to continue with a ritual that would lead to their master's resurrection, it frightened the young man. He had no idea why it was that he was such a target, which led to Doctor Strange stepping up to explain.

"You are the most peculiar mage in the world, Billy, even more so then your mother," said Doctor Strange. "You and your brother were not born through conventional means. When Wanda Maximoff discovered the lost souls and impregnated herself with them, she used Chaos Magic to accomplish such a task, which left its mark on the both of you. But Chaos Magic wasn't the only force involved, your souls were the fragments of the Demon Lord, Mephisto. When he reclaimed those lost fragments, he infused his own demonic magic with them to keep a hold of them only to be destroyed by a vengeful Wanda and the innocence of William and Thomas Maximoff."

"But then mother got her hands on the LifeForce," said Speed. "That changed everything."

"Yes," said Doctor Strange. "I have heard from Wanda the origins of her reality altering abilities. I couldn't believe it when she told me. She stole the powers of Creation to purify the lost souls, effectively removing the Chaos Magic and Demon Magic from them, which prompted you both to be reincarnated as your current selves."

"What does this have to do with The Organization wanting me though?" asked Wiccan.

"The source of your powers are unique, Billy," said the sorcerer. "Your powers originate from various forces. Your mutation itself allows you some degree of magic since you carrying a unique ability called Projection. With this power, you are able to create minor alterations in reality by the sheer force of your willpower. But your magic is also tied to another power. Chaos and Creation seem to be at war within you as a piece of Wanda's Chaos Magic and the power of the LifeForce has found a home within you. It is quite remarkable, but the source of your magic potentially makes you the most powerful sorcerer in our dimension. The spell that you cast against The Organization, the magic that you unearthed is a sign that this may be true."

Normally, something like that would've gone straight to his head. However, Wiccan had learned the price of magic and that price was always high. The last time he had been entangled with such powerful magic, namely the LifeForce, it cost his friends' lives and nearly cost him his in order to send the LifeForce back into the universe.

Wiccan was apprehensive about messing with such powerful forces, but it seemed he wasn't going to have much of a choice as Doctor Strange continued.

"I want you all to understand that there are ancient forces in the universe," said Doctor Strange. "There are few unnamed forces that predate the Creation of the Cosmos. Chaos and Order have always been at war, which makes me fear of just what The Source is. Simply being called The Source implies that he is a force of unadulterated power. Due to the Chaos Magic that tampered with Mulan's mind and the return of the Phoenix Force, I can only assume that The Source just may be a primordial force that comes from either the beginning or before the universe."

"I urge extreme caution, Young Avengers," said Doctor Strange, "especially you, Billy. We are living in dangerous times, the primordial creatures that once roamed the universe have begun to return and make themselves known. Ancient forces like Mephisto, Galactus, and the Phoenix are nothing compared to these primordial entities. Their power has no limitations, which is why The Source's resurrection must be prevented at all costs. If The Source truly is a primordial entity then his return to our world can only lead to complete and utter disaster."

"The return of the Phoenix Force has already led to a remarkable amount of danger," continued the sorcerer. "It has split itself up into pieces and merged with five of the X-Men. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, and Namor have become some of the most powerful beings in the world due to the Phoenix, but even I feel that their combined power is nothing when compared to The Organization's master."

Sensing the fear of the teenagers, Doctor Strange knew that he had to leave them with some form of hope. It was a hope that he believe was truth as he knew in his heart that they were the only ones able to perform such a task.

"You must stand strong, Young Avengers, for I truly believe that you are the only ones in the world who can save it from destruction."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: HELLO READERS! So I got my three reviews relatively quick this time and I want to say thank you! Your critiques certainly helped me to know what you felt about the story so far! So that means big shout outs to King of Hearts, Stormgirl, HopeSproutWings, and Bradly93! P.S. Mikepd, you know I love you too! Haha. Keep on reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Read and review.  
**

**Deceiver: **

_I had no idea what I was getting myself into by leaving Arizona. I had never expected things to turn out like this by finding Eli and joining the Young Avengers. _

_Here I thought that I was joining a bunch of hip, young super kids who wanted to kick some evil ass and occasionally save the world from some wack job. Instead, I found out that I would be fighting against some type of ancient, demonic force that desired to pretty much destroy the entire world with a group of mystical villains serving him. _

_Yipes, now I know why my dad didn't want me to get into the superhero gig. This is a lot more stress than I expected. _

_But I know I can handle it, I'm far stronger then my parents give me credit for. Part of being a hero means facing the unexpected head on. Did any of the heroes expect to be battling against half of the villains or cosmic entities that they go up against every day? Hell no! If they did then they would've never signed up for the job in the first place. But they keep fighting because that's what has to be done. Somebody has to fight to protect everyone because who else will?_

_I'm willing to carry that burden of fighting the good fight. My dad has the strength to do what he does despite the adversity that tore him apart and so do I. I can be strong, I have the will to fight, I have the power to protect those who can't protect themselves. So that's what I'm going to do, I'm going to be the bit of hope that everyone needs._

_Like the good doctor said, a big storm of chaos is quickly coming and that means we have to be ready to bear the worst of it. _

_There is more that I can say, but I'm a girl of a few words. I'd rather let my action do all the talking then waste the time to put together the syllables. It's so much more fun to just kick some ass instead of giving a speech on why you should get your ass kick. Although, giving a speech then kicking that ass could be very fun too. _

* * *

Wandering outside of a guest bedroom, Samantha entered the hallway of the Sanctum Sanctorum in the middle of the night as she suffered a bit of insomnia. She scratched at her exposed arms as she walked down the corridor dressed in one of many pajamas that had been conjured by the former Sorcerer Supreme.

There was a specific incentive on her part to avoid staring at the creepy, occult items that decorated Doctor Strange's home. Mainly, she didn't want to freak herself out with the nightmare inspiring artifacts, especially when it was so late in the night. Yet she still found herself drawn to walk down the hallway by herself until she eventually found herself outside of the sitting room that the team had been in earlier that day.

Samantha stopped in her tracks as she noticed somebody was there. Not wanting to interrupt that individual, especially if it was their host, Sam pulled back a bit but soon noticed that it was Mulan who was sitting on the couch. The young woman stood there, silent, as she listened to the soft cries that filled the air as Mulan allowed her emotions to get the better of her. Feeling a tightening in her chest, Sam felt the urge to reach out to Mulan at that moment, but she was stopped as a hand grabbed onto her wrist.

It took a heck of a lot of self-restraint not to lash out.

Startled by the sudden contact, Sam hadn't even realized that Kate had been watching Mulan cry as she stood close to the shadows. Kate placed a finger over her lips to signal Sam to be silent, which then led to Kate signaling Sam to follow her. Without much hesitation, Sam followed the request and left the crying Mulan as she followed Kate's trail.

Further down the hall, far enough where they couldn't be heard, Kate stopped them from going any further before she turned to face Samantha. Dressed in similar pajamas, Kate just placed her back against the nearest wall with a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"Poor girl," said Kate. "I've been listening to her cry about her family for about ten minutes before you showed up."

"And you didn't try to talk to her?" Samantha asked, surprised by her.

Kate shook her head as she finally made eye contact with Samantha. Being intuitive enough to figure it out, Kate could see the disappointment behind Samantha's eyes, which spoke plenty. "I don't think she would've liked it if I tried to gang up on her tonight," said Kate. "We heard her story; she's been through a lot. Right now, I think the best thing we can do for her is to give her a little bit of time to process what's happened to her. This is only the first night that she's had full control over her mind and body, let's just leave her be before we try to interfere with her life."

Samantha could see where Kate was coming from. It was probably a good idea to just leave Mulan alone a bit, give her some time to process things on her own. They had already shown that they were willing to accept Mulan as a part of the Young Avengers if she so desired. There was no need to be anymore pushy then that until she accepted the place that they were offering her.

Considering everything that happened, there was wisdom in leaving Mulan alone for the moment. If they tried to interfere too much then they would hinder Mulan's recovery process, but that didn't mean they couldn't get involved at all. If she so desired their help then they would be there, but if she wanted her space then they would respect that.

From what little that they knew about Mulan, Samantha and Kate had to infer that Mulan was a private person. She may have gone into some detail about the torture she went through with The Organization, but even that story had many barriers around it. Kate, especially, could see that Mulan wasn't ready to tell them everything, she understood that.

Kate could only think back to being sexually assaulted at the park by that man. It had nearly destroyed her; it would've killed her if she had allowed the pain to overwhelm her. She chose to fight back though; she would never allow herself to be a victim again. And if she could help it then she would do all that she could to help Mulan because nobody should have to recover from such pain without a friend to help them.

"We're going to have to be there for her," Samantha said, interrupting Kate's thoughts. "We all will be there, right?"

"Of course," Kate said, softly. "All of us will do everything that we can to help. I'm sure that each of us has something that we can offer her to help with the healing process. But she has to be open to letting us in. If we try to force ourselves then we'd be no better than The Organization."

Samantha agreed with that as walked over to stand beside Kate. She placed her mocha hand over her creamy shoulder, showing Kate through that gesture that she would back her help. Kate couldn't help but to smile as she felt relieved to know that there was another girl on the team who had her back. She had been sorely missing another female teammate since Cassie's death. Nobody could replace Cassie though, but it felt nice to have someone else there to help.

They would all have to be there for each other if what Doctor Strange said earlier was true.

* * *

After spending nearly the entire day sleeping, trying to sleep that night was difficult for Billy as he lay awake in bed. Even as the almost-giant Teddy spooned against him, Billy just couldn't find his mind able to relax enough to let him get anymore sleep. In fact, he felt wickedly anxious as Teddy's arm relinquished his hold on him, which led the mage to realize that Teddy was in a very deep sleep at this point.

Billy didn't hesitate as he started to crawl out from the bed. The young man's feet silently touched the floor, while he reached out to grab a robe that was sitting over a nearby chair. He walked away from the bed that he was temporarily sharing with his boyfriend as he felt the need to get some non-bedroom air.

Wrapping the robe around him, Billy exited the room with a strange sense of déjà vu hitting him.

The last time that Billy snuck out of bed from Teddy was when he made the trip to Latveria to find his mother. The successful discover of the Scarlet Witch also led to Billy being badly injured by Doctor Doom's sorcery and the beginning of a nasty battle that ended horribly. Just thinking about that was enough to make Billy stop in his tracks until he found the way to perish the memory.

The hallway was empty this late at night so Billy wandered down it quietly. The foreign, occult artifacts were very mesmerizing to a young mage like Billy. He wondered just how differently things could've been if he had proven himself worthy to be a Sorcerer Supreme or becoming Doctor Strange's apprentice. Hell, he always wondered just how differently his life could've been if Wanda had been able to save her sons from Mephisto's servant or if the World of M was allowed to continue existing.

So many different possibilities were running through his mind that Billy wondered if he would even have the same friends and how different their lives could be too.

But Billy remained silent about this until he found himself standing before a large, oak door. He paused upon stepping in front of it, puzzled by just how he ended up here when the door began to open itself as a voice called out for him to enter.

Billy was surprised to see that Doctor Strange was still awake and that he in fact found the entrance to his personal study. Stephan was sitting at a desk with a strange text floating in the air as he magically read through it. That was a trick that Billy had learned a year ago, which helped to make his homework a little bit more pleasant.

Doctor Strange dropped what he was doing though as he conjured a chair for Billy to sit on. This seat was beside his, which surprised Billy by just how close the sorcerer wanted the young mage to be.

"I see that sleep has eluded you too, my friend," said Doctor Strange.

"Yeah," Billy admitted as he sat down. "I really just can't get my brain to shutdown. I have a lot of thoughts going on, partly because of what you said about The Source and me."

Nodding his head, Doctor Strange understood his hand in this as he leaned back against his chair. The wise sorcerer appeared to be just that to Billy who watched intently. "I know that it might be frightening now, Billy, but there are still millions of possibilities to explain just how you are tied to The Source," said Doctor Strange. "Considering whom your mother is and your origins, a variety of reasons come to mind, but each one can be proven false without any more information."

"What kind of reasons?" asked Billy. "You mean the fact that my soul was once a part of a demon?"

"Something along those lines," confessed Doctor Strange. "I'm afraid it's something more than that. I have seen different realities throughout my time as Sorcerer Supreme. The magic that holds the multi-verse together runs deep, allowing many realities to exist in harmony with the Grand Design."

"Was I in any of these realities?" asked Billy.

"You were in many of them in one form or another," said Doctor Strange. "In one world, you witnessed Wanda being killed and turned to dark magic to avenge her by becoming the Grim Reaper. Thomas, on the other hand, developed magic and the two of you fought to the death until The Vision sacrificed himself to end your fighting."

"In a reality like the World of M that Wanda created, you were the Prince of Genosha, groomed to marry Teddy whom became the Emperor of the Skrull Empire. And in another reality, in a darker world, your search for Wanda resulted in your death. Wolverine would be successful in killing you, but you would unleash your full magical potential to kill Wolverine as well before finally dying in Teddy's arms, prompting your friends to join Doctor Doom in order to avenge you."

Startled by all of this knowledge, Billy felt the urge to vomit as little as he squirmed in the chair. He just couldn't see what Doctor Strange was trying to get to. It all made him feeling incredibly guilty as he sat there, silent.

"All actions have consequences, Billy, is what I'm getting to," said Doctor Strange. "I have a deep amount of concern for you because you have the potential to be a powerful sorcerer." The older sorcerer placed a hand over Billy's to create light of magic that came from their contact. "There is no Sorcerer Supreme in our world, there hasn't been one since Doctor Voodoo gave up his life to seal away Agomatto in the Eye. Without a Sorcerer Supreme, this realm is vulnerable to the mystical forces that would attempt to harm it."

"You're saying that there can never be another Sorcerer Supreme?" asked Billy.

"I'm afraid so," said Doctor Strange. "That's why the task of protecting the realm has to fall on young mages like yourself. It is mages like you whom the burden falls on now that there will never be another Sorcerer Supreme to serve as the Master of Magic. You will have to unite your powers in times of crisis in order to invoke a greater magic to defeat the mystical forces that are gathering. I pray for you, Billy, and for all mages that will come after you that the darkest days shall never arise."

Doctor Strange took his hand away from Billy as he finally found himself tired enough to sleep. He said his farewells to Billy, leaving the boy to his thoughts as he left his study to get some rest of his own.

Billy stayed there for moments longer, unable to think of what else to do about himself. Hearing what the sorcerer had to say was depressing, but empowering at the same time. Billy couldn't rely on a miracle or a higher power, he had to have faith in himself if he was going to overcome the challenges that were waiting for him.

He was ready to believe, he hoped.

* * *

Inside their lair, The Organization gathered together once more to discuss their agenda. After a shameful defeat at the hands of the Young Avenger's mage, it was time for the gloves to slip off to show the children what it meant to play in the major leagues. There was no point in holding back any punches since the Young Avengers proven that they were willing to show everything that they had in order to fight. It was brave and hilarious all at the same time for them though as they realized just how young their foes were.

Supernova carried on with their mission as he stood before his subordinates. He felt the powers of their master running through his veins as he knew it was time for the game plan to change a little bit to accommodate the new factors. Since the Young Avengers had shown them that they were far more capable then Nova had anticipated then that meant an upgraded plan was necessary to make room.

"Do you understand your duties?" Nova asked as he finished his new orders.

There was a concurrence in the room as the members of The Organization all nodded their hands. The simplicity of the plan was enough to raise some suspicions, however, it was understandable that this is how things needed to be for them to attain their goals. It would be dirty and it would involve a lot of sneaky work, but this was all to further their quest for power and freedom, which is what the recruits craved.

The mild trickles of oblivious behavior were adorable to Nova as he left his Organization to their own devices. They had their orders and he was certain that they could handle following them to their full potential in order to secure their master's return. The Source would return to the universe no matter what the cost was.

Nova had already proven once before that he would take the burden of that price.

* * *

The orders were being followed as The Organization members had spread out to do their duties. In the city, Jared found himself alone with Viktor and Sasha as they began to make their move against the Young Avengers. This time they wouldn't be battling the teenage powerhouses, instead, they were going to use mind games to break their group apart. And their main target would be the mage, whom Jared would handle personally.

Jared sat in the nearly empty flat, looking around to see Sasha and Viktor setting up their temporary base. It would be here that they would monitor the movements of the Young Avengers, while making their move against the heroes.

Watching them, Jared found Viktor and Sasha's relationship to be a little odd. It wasn't like what he had with Terra. Where the two men were constantly touching and showing affection, Sasha and Viktor hardly made an eye contact and almost never even touched each other's hands. He wondered just what was going on with that when he was pulled from his reality as Viktor called for the water-bender's attention.

Viktor led the younger man into another room as Sasha continued to work on finishing up their new base. It was time to move their plan along some, which is where the two of them working together came in effect.

Jared took a seat on the ground as Viktor sat opposite of him. He watched as the illusionist began to meditate, casting his powers onto the water-bender in order to create the desired results. Feeling a slight tingle along his spine, Jared could only assume that what Viktor was doing was working.

That or he was about to be voted off the island.

Viktor finally opened his eyes, which had turned pale white as a result of the complicated illusion that he was attempting to cast over Jared. The hold of the illusion had to be far more permanent than any other ones he cast before in order to make things convincing. If the illusion could falter, even if only for a second, then that put their plans at stake and it would allow the Young Avengers to strengthen their guard.

Jared continued to watch as Viktor did his thing, waiting anxiously for it to be all over when he felt a weak sigh escape from his throat. The water-bender felt a stronger tingling that was followed by a massive headache that caused him to buckle down. He could feel Viktor's influence winning out until finally all of the pain was over with.

Hearing footsteps coming close, Jared found himself opening his eyes to see a hand extended out to him. It was out of instinct as Jared took the hand which caused him to immediately notice that something wasn't right. He saw his hand and saw that the olive-tone had vanished, replaced by a creamy white tone and far smoother skin. That was the first sign that Viktor had accomplished his task that and the grin on the illusionist's face as he brought Jared to a mirror.

It was then that he was positive of the illusionist's work. No longer did Jared see himself as he no longer "existed". What he saw instead was the perfect image of Billy Kaplan as Viktor stood beside the illusion of the mage.

"How long will it last?" Jared asked, now disguised as Billy.

"As long as I want it to," Viktor said, sharply. "This illusion is far more permanent then the others I've used. Only I or powerful magic can revert you back to your true appearance. It is because of that I have placed numerous safeguards over you to prevent you from being detected by magic. For all intents and purposes, physically, you are William Kaplan, from your face to your toes and even your fingerprints."

Jared could only smirk but he could only see the smirk of Billy, which was going to take some getting used to. Especially since he had to live his life with black hair again, something he never had to be bothered with since his mutation began. "What about blood and semen?" laughed Jared.

"Nobody is that good of an illusionist," said Viktor. "And just don't get into any trouble that would require a blood transfusion or a DNA test."

Viktor turned away from the water-bender, leaving Jared to watch himself. Jared still didn't like how he was being dragged into this, but he was already the closest in appearance to the little witch and not to mention he was a natural charmer. He just didn't like being whored out like this, he had refused to be put into this position but Nova's orders could not be ignored.

But ignoring the mere memory of Nova, Jared looked over his shoulder to see that the door was still open. He started to make his way towards it when he caught sight of Viktor and Sasha, embracing one another in the twilight. As streaks of the setting sun peaked through the city's buildings, Viktor and Sasha held onto each other, feeling each other's warmth as they stood there in silence.

Jared turned away as he closed the door, giving them both some time alone. Slowly, he was beginning to understand that their relationship was a little more complicated than he had originally gave them credit.

* * *

Mulan slammed her fist through the large brick that Teddy was holding up for her. She easily smashed the brick in half before throwing her body around to send a sharp kick over to where Landon had set up wall of bricks. Once more, she proved her physical strength was far beyond that of most of the other Young Avengers as the team tested her strength and control.

So far, Mulan proved that she was more than capable of putting a handle on her powers. But just how far her powers went, they were uncertain about. However, Mulan was still showing that she could handle the pressure pretty well as she found herself getting caught into a sparring match with Teddy and Eli at the same time. The two, strong guys went up against her on their own without any backup to discover that Mulan was capable of fighting them even by herself.

At their headquarters, the rest of the Young Avengers were either watching Mulan's training or busy searching for more clues on The Organization. Billy, Tommy, and The Vision were working on figuring out more details on their crazy, new enemies, while the others kept on watching the smack down.

From across the warehouse, Billy yelled at Mulan not to break his boyfriend as he continued to watch The Vision scan the city for anything suspicious.

Mulan couldn't make any promises though as she knocked Teddy down before going after Eli, catching the super soldier off his guard in the process. She easily weaved through Eli's defenses and brought him down for the count just as Teddy was getting back on his feet. He was stumbling some, showing that his hyper healing hadn't quite taken effect yet.

Kate watched Mulan displaying her skills with Samantha and Landon standing by her. The three watched as their super strong teammates duked it out, which was a little funny to say that least. Two, big, tough guys were getting their asses handed to them by a girl whom was half their size.

"The Organization did a lot to alter her physical strength," said Landon. "Ms. Marvel was never this strong."

Samantha agreed as she began to wonder just what else might be in Mulan's blood stream now. "Do you think they might have thrown something else in there?" she asked. "Could they have turned to some black magic or even just poured more superhuman DNA into her system?"

"It's a possibility," said Kate. "Or they just altered the blood samples to make Mulan able to fight more like a true Kree soldier. They could've very well thrown a direct batch of Captain Mar-Vell's blood in there too."

"That might upset Teddy," said Landon. "If The Organization had tampered with his father's body then what's keeping them from sending out anyone else as powerful as Mulan after us."

"We just have to wait and see," said Kate. "All we know is that The Organization wants us out of the way and Billy dead to make room for The Source."

"But just how far are they willing to go?" Samantha asked, leaving them with a dead serious question.

Just how far was The Organization willing to go in order to remove the Young Avengers from the equation?

* * *

Utopia was their destination once again as Joseph and Vanessa entered the stronghold of the X-Men. The twins came to the floating haven due to the importance of the mutants that resided inside and their ties to the Phoenix.

Without any trouble, the brother and sister wandered down the halls until they found the chamber that they were looking for. They were quite as they hid in the shadows, listening in on the X-Men as they discussed their battle against the Avengers. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Magik, and Colossus were inside as they mentioned the latest attack on Utopia from the Avengers.

Namor angrily spouted on about what needed to be done to punish the Avengers for their actions against mutant kind. He continued his rant, spending some time yelling about Wanda Maximoff's interference and of her disappearing with Hope Summers. Without their messiah, the Phoenix wouldn't be able to restore itself and it would be impossible for them to restore mutant kind to its previous standing.

The Phoenix Five went on to argue about what needed to be done with the fragments of the Phoenix radiating against each other.

Ignoring the rest of the discussion as they split by undetected still, Joseph and Vanessa ventured to higher ground where they could discuss things on their own. They had the information that they needed in order to move things along the way that The Organization so desired.

Vanessa was the first to reach the surface of Utopia as she stood in the middle of the sunlight. She could smell the harbor air, which was refreshing to her when she heard Joseph's loud footsteps behind her to steal her moment of peace.

"What is going on in that airy head of yours?" said Joseph.

"The Phoenix Five will be the key to damaging the order of the world," said Vanessa. "Can't you see it; they're a ticking time bomb. All we have to do is get them to fight each other to break corrupt the Phoenix, transforming one of them into Dark Phoenix."

Joseph could see how that would benefit them. Every time that Dark Phoenix arrived, it always led to a big mss that nearly brought the world to its knees. "And how do you purpose that we do that?" asked Joseph.

Vanessa twirled as she already had a plan to deal with that. "All we need to do is get the Phoenix Five to lose their fragments of the Phoenix power until there is only one," said Vanessa. "I think Namor would be the easiest to break since he's the hottest headed. We have to exploit Magik and Vanessa's relationship as brother and sister to break their fragments. Summers and Frost will then fight each other until there is only one survivor."

Laughing, Joseph could see it all happening before him in his head. The arrogance of the Phoenix Five assured that Vanessa's plan was highly possibly to achieve. Their own hubris would be their downfall, which would only lead to the Earth's destruction as well.

"I do love how deliciously wicked that head of yours is, dear sister," laughed Terra.

"Thank you, my dear brother," said Vanessa. "Now, let us start with Namor, I already have an idea how to get to him. We just need him to make a very big mess." Yes, she did feel like it was easy to get to the Atlantian-Mutant. He was by far the most arrogant and angry of them all, which would make it easy to get him to lose his connection to the Phoenix, especially since he still was burned by getting so easily defeated by the Scarlet Maximoff by being told to go away.

Joseph got an idea as he leaned in close towards his sister with a devilish grin on his face. It was so terrifying that even Vanessa got the Goosebumps. "I've heard that Wakanda is desperate need of rain this time of year," said Joseph.

"So we should help those people by getting them that rain," laughed Vanessa.

The brother and sister left Utopia to move things along enough for The Organization to attain their goals.

* * *

Teddy climbed out of the subway as he carried some groceries that would be split between Tommy and him. He was kind of glad he didn't have to ration food with Mulan since she was under Kate's care, while Eli and Sam were crashing in Landon's loft. It certainly made the living arrangements easier, but he felt that they should all be a little closer together during these times.

With The Organization on breathing down their necks, it would only be a matter of time before their separation was exploited. They were split up halfway across the city, meaning that it would be difficult to keep in touch if things got sourer. What Teddy was afraid of was that The Organization would, and probably will, find out exactly where they lived then made their move to bring them down.

It was frightening, but Teddy knew that they could handle things if it came down to it.

The base was about twelve blocks away, meaning he still had a bit of a walk ahead of him. Even though it was starting to get a little dark, the alien boy wasn't afraid of getting attacked by muggers considering he could shapeshift and rip their assholes apart with his Skrull claws. If that wasn't terrifying enough then he could just beat them half to death with his Kree strength.

Teddy turned a nearby corner when he found himself in for a bit of a surprise. He was shocked to see Billy coming down the other corner, surprised but delighted at the same time. Billy shot him a smile as he started to run towards the alien teen quickly before throwing his arms around him.

"Hello love," Teddy said, wrapping his arms around Billy. "And what do I owe for this pleasure?'

"I can't visit my boyfriend?" Billy said, smiling from ear to ear.

Billy pulled himself away from his boyfriend with something catching Teddy's attention. Teddy couldn't explain it but something seemed a little off in Billy's eyes as he looked at him. It was weird, but he ignored that instinct as he started to walk with his boyfriend following him.

If only Teddy had embraced his suspicions as Billy took a bag from him. Only, it wasn't Billy that was helping Teddy.

Passing the store windows, nobody could tell that this wasn't the real Billy. It was in fact Jared disguised as Billy who was serving the instructions of The Organization. Jared's purpose was to break down Billy enough to leave him vulnerable to the final attack. The deception would also crush Teddy and the other Young Avengers as Jared was also to erode the bonds that kept the heroes together by pretending to be Billy.

And so far, it was working as Jared played the role of Billy Kaplan perfectly.

Jared already had Teddy eating out of the palm of his hands and he had yet to even put out. The water-bender wasn't sure just how far he was supposed to go with pretending to be Billy, but he was going to do whatever it took to follow through with his orders.

Even if he wasn't exactly thrilled with doing it, he had to for The Organization.

* * *

Chaos was growing stronger as the End of Days was coming.

Supernova wandered down into the deeper corridors of The Organization's headquarters. He ventured carefully in the dark, outside of the knowledge of the other members. Down the corridor, Supernova felt the chaos within him growing stronger until he finally made it the end of a staircase where he now found himself in a rocky hallway.

Further he went until he entered a dark chamber that was nearly empty except for a long podium that carried an obscure looking mirror on top. That was where Supernova would find the origins of the chaos that ran through his veins as he heard the call. The beautiful sound left him mesmerized as he felt the power growing stronger.

The siren's calling brought Supernova into position as the glass began to hum with a frightful ring that sounded utterly beautiful to him. The man sighed deeply with a content smile spreading across his face as he touched the elaborate framework.

"I hear you, my master," said Supernova. "I am ready to do your bidding."

The humming grew louder, creating a voice that only Supernova could hear. The voice of The Source pierced through the dimensional divide as he touched the mind of his most faithful servant. It was such a beautiful sound, clear and powerful enough to send shivers down Supernova's spine as his legs trembled before his master.

"Allow me to assure you, master that is all under control" said Supernova. "The Young Avengers will be swiftly dealt with, while the Avengers and the X-Men pummel themselves into oblivion as they fight over the Phoenix Force. The destruction that will be brought about will pave the way for your grand return!"

Once more, the glass mirror continued to hum as the voice of The Source numbed Supernova's mind.

"The boy will die, master," promised Supernova. "His existence is nearly at its end. We will destroy his spirit so that he will be begging us for death. Then there will be nothing that can stand in the way of preventing your return."

Supernova was dishearten but pleased to hear that he was doing The Source's bidding. It kept him nourished to hear The Source's voice even if his true voice couldn't quite cross through the dimensions. But it was a sign that The Source was almost strong enough to move through the realms and return to claim the world that so righteously belonged to him.

And when that day came, Supernova would be rewarded for his unending loyalty. He was certain of that The Source would allow him to rule at his side as the Chaos spread throughout the four corners of the multi-verse.

"Glory be to The Source," laughed Supernova.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: YOLA sexy people! I'm excited to let you know that I got my reviews which means you get your update! I hope you enjoy it. And just an FYI there are only about twelve chapters left for the fic. I'm also getting ready to start a Final Fantasy X fic but I won't start it until after I finish this one. So anyways, read and review!  
**

**Written on a Bullet:**

_I'm just a girl who had everything stolen from her. I was alone and empty with only thoughts of getting back at my abductors to keep me going._

_At least those were my first thoughts when Doctor Strange freed me from The Organization. Even after I had broken down in tears in front of the Young Avengers and pretty much spent that entire night crying, I could only see me getting better by hurting The Organization like they had hurt me. I could see their cruel faces, well, I could see Supernova. He was the one who abducted me and my siblings, he was the one who drove them to death, and he was the one who violated my innocence. I could never forgive a monster like him; I swore on the restless souls of my family that I would avenge them by making Supernova suffer horribly._

_Isn't that what it means to be an Avenger too? You had to have something to avenge whether it was for yourself or for someone else. That's how the Avengers started, wasn't it? I don't know nor do I really care._

_I'll admit this though, I'm thankful for the Young Avengers. They've offered me a home where I have nothing else to go back to. At least for now, I can say that I have something to keep me tethered to reality. If they weren't around then I would completely lose myself to my desires for revenge and slaughtering Supernova. _

_But this wasn't the girl I was supposed to be. I wasn't vindictive by nature, even though I was the youngest of three so not much was expected out of me from life. I was just supposed to marry a wealthy and influential man to increase the status of my family. That couldn't happen now though, now that I'm damaged goods in every sense of the word. _

_The only thing I did have was my virginity, but that was a different story. My body had been violated by Supernova's experiments and my mind had been driven to the point of insanity. _

_I wish I could just return to those happier times where my family was whole and everything was just perfect. If I could just go back to those days then I'd be so happy. _

_However, we all knew what happens in a world where everyone gets what they wanted. The Young Avengers explained to me what happened in the World of M, which led to the virtual extinction of mutantkind. Even though I was their enemy, they told me all of the secrets that they had shared with each other or learned from the Avengers. _

_Despite my time as Avatar, the Young Avengers were willing to give me a place amongst them. Despite my desires for revenge, the Young Avengers wanted to help piece me back together. Despite the agony in my heart, the Young Avengers felt like my second chance._

_With these feelings, I knew what I had to do. I needed to embrace their offer and seek justice for the crimes done against me. My family needed to be avenged; my family honor had to be restored to what it once was. _

_I had to defeat the Young Avengers, not just for me though, but for everyone. I knew damn well the power of the evil that The Organization was attempting to resurrect. The Source had to be stopped so I had to help the Young Avengers then and only then can I restore pieces of my broken spirit back together. _

_Until that day came though, I had to start the process of restoration slowly so that I could just attempt to function like a normal human being. Only I wasn't a normal human being anymore. _

_From this day forward I shall be known as Avatar._

* * *

The city was caught up in more turmoil as the Rhino came stampeding down the road with a stolen machine from Stark Tower that was apparently of some value. Nobody really cared what the machine did as they solely desired to get away from the dangerous Rhino before he could crush them in his rampage.

Although, the Rhino had generally focused more on higher quality missions of late, his client wanted the machine and was willing to pay big bucks for it. The Rhino was more than willing to deliver too. He continued his charge down the road since his getaway had been dismantled by Stark's security. He was able to outrun the security, but he wasn't about to get much further as a roadblock was about to get in his way.

And this roadblock was the Young Avengers.

Hawkeye stood at the fray with an arrow drawn, aiming for the Rhino's chest. It was an arrow designed to stun her target, which she released without even a second thought when the Rhino was within range. The arrow immediately crashed against the Rhino, causing the man to drop the heavy machine he was carrying to the ground, possibly damaged, as he tore the arrow away from his chest as he fought the effects of the stun.

Unfortunately for him, that wasn't the only time he was going to get stunned. Sneaking up from behind the Rhino, Turquoise Boy came out from the shadows like the trained assassin that he was to strike the Rhino. The agent jumped on the man's back with his stunning gauntlet activated as he struck the giant man in the neck with it.

The electrical currents ripped the Rhino a new one, but it didn't completely stop him from going any further in his rampage. Instead, his sights were now turned on the Young Avengers as he tore Turquoise Boy off his back and threw him towards Hawkeye. Luckily though, The Vision came in at that moment to catch Turquoise Boy before it was too late. The pair landed on the ground just as Hawkeye was preparing another arrow to shoot the Rhino with.

It would prove to be unnecessary though when a real power swooped in to hit the Rhino.

None of them expected to see Mulan in her new uniform as she showed no signs of being interested in fighting alongside the Young Avengers. However, she was a welcome surprise as they witnessed her come down from the sky, swooping in to slam her tiny fist across the face of the muscular man which easily sent him sailing towards a parked car.

Landing on the ground, she threw her head back to stare as the Rhino was slowly getting back on her feet. Now that she was a Young Avenger, she no longer bore the burden of wearing the black attire that she had been forced to wear because of The Organization. She wore a modified version of a traditional Chinese dress. The form-fitted red dress hugged her youthful curves with the dress itself ending at her thighs with a slit along the side to give her room to kick. Covering the rest of her legs was a pair of golden leggings to match the golden stitching along her dress that bore a Chinese dragon that went from the front of the dress and circled around to the back. Lastly, her hair was tied up into a braid to keep it from getting in her way for when she was really laying it onto her enemies.

Now was the day that Avatar was going to make her debut.

"Started the party without me?" Avatar said to the Young Avengers. "You guys really shouldn't have done that. I do enjoy a good party."

"Careful," warned Hawkeye. "The Rhino is a lot more durable then he looks."

"Well so am I," Avatar shouted, carelessly throwing aside Hawkeye's concern.

Avatar felt her strength coursing throughout her veins as she charged after the now standing Rhino. She clenched her fists before bringing them together to smash Rhino across the face with again. As the Rhino was stumbling back a couple steps, Avatar briefly took flight in order to augment her heightened agility, allowing her to throw a high kick that managed to clip the Rhino in the chest.

The Rhino was at this point unable to piece together what was going on. He should've been able to take the Young Avengers apart, especially since more than half of them were missing. However, this little girl had shown up and was beating the shit out of him that was humiliating in more ways than one. Not even Spiderman made fighting him this easy, it was getting to the point of being utterly ridiculous, but Avatar didn't seem to care.

It was quite the opposite in fact; Avatar only saw this practice for her getting back at The Organization. As she fought Rhino, she saw the face of her captor. She kept reminding herself that this was Rhino, but as she threw her blows, she would occasionally see Supernova in her mind.

Recollecting herself, Avatar kicked Rhino in the hip in a way that should've shattered the bone. However, she showed some mercy by withholding some of her strength before rotating her body around to kick him in the arm. With that last blow, the Rhino dropped to the ground, exhausted from the beating that he took just as Hawkeye, The Vision, and Turquoise Boy came in to break up the fight.

"I quit! I quit!" the Rhino shouted. "Just keep this crazy, Asian pixie away from me! I can't take any more of it."

"Good," Turquoise Boy said as he began to arrest the villain.

Avatar assisted, despite the Rhino's protests, as she hoisted him up to his feet. The handcuffs were slapped on, negating the powers of the Rhino suit just as the other S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents started to arrive to escort the Rhino to one of the "luxurious" supervillain prisons.

With that problem taken care of, Turquoise Boy began to make arrangements for the stolen Stark Tech to be returned as Hawkeye dealt with her team.

Questions arose about where the others were. Hawkeye wanted to know why none of the other Young Avengers could be there to back them up, while she also took the time to welcome Avatar officially into the team.

"You did well," said Hawkeye. "Next time though, try not to be so aggressive."

"Sorry about that," said Avatar. "I was just thinking about Supernova when I was fighting Rhino. I guess I lost myself a little."

"It's understandable," Hawkeye said to her, "just try to keep yourself in check. We wouldn't want to loss you to insanity now."

With that dealt with, Hawkeye turned her attention to The Vision for a report. The Vision informed her that Eli and Samantha were out of town for the moment so they wouldn't have been able to make it on time. He recently found out as well that the Billy and Tommy were bed ridden since they caught a nasty case of food poisoning the other day so they were at the Kaplans' house with Teddy helping Billy's parents to take care of them.

Hawkeye could only groan in frustrating as she prayed that The Organization wouldn't exploit this opportunity to unleash something big. Her mage and speedster were too sick to do a damn thing, while her super soldier, alien hybrid, and bird whisperer were M.I.A. for the moment.

The only bright side was that at least Avatar had proven that she could be just as tough as their heavy hitters, which would be a blessing if something horrible happened.

Lucky for Hawkeye that The Organization was too busy plotting against the Young Avengers, they were quite ready yet to lay their cards down on the table. There were certain equations that needed to be calculated before that could happen. Instead, they only need to worry about a great fraud that threatened to destroy them.

* * *

Jared walked along the park trail to meet his date. Central Park had since been fixed since the battle between the former Avatar and the Elemental Trio against the Young Avengers. It's beauty was back to the way it was, which led to this date that Jared all dolled up for as he was dressed up like a typical, nerdy teenager.

It was typical for his disguise, but not typical for him as he continued his ruse of being Billy Kaplan. The scam was going so well that Jared had been able to make contact with other members of the Young Avengers since his initial encounter with Teddy, having them all convinced that he was their teammate. A safeguard had been put in the place though in the likely situation that the real Billy Kaplan or the other Young Avengers would become suspicious of The Organization's plots.

Deception created various wards through Supernova's powers to alter the flow of the Young Avengers' memories. The team members that encountered Jared as Billy would forget of their encounter the moment that Jared left but would immediately remember that encounter upon his return. The other memories would be suppressed in order to accommodate the ruse that had been set up so that Jared could begin the task of breaking the Young Avengers apart from the inside.

He could only hope that the plan would continue to work as he finally found the bench in which Teddy Altman was waiting at.

Originally, Teddy was unaware of just why he had gotten dressed up and took off to be at Central Park by three-thirty. There was something in the back of his head that told him so but he couldn't piece it together until he turned to see Jared disguised as Billy approaching him. That's when the memories of their date came rushing back as if he had never forgotten in the place.

Teddy sprung from the bench to meet his lover halfway. His arms immediately wrapped themselves around Billy/Jared as his excitement to be with him overwhelmed him, especially in such a secluded spot.

"I'm happy to see you too," Jared said, taking his role as Billy seriously.

"I've missed you, love," Teddy said, kissing someone who was not the real Billy. However, the illusion was so powerful that not even his alien mental resilience could nullify its affects. For all intents and purposes, Teddy was led to believe that Jared really was his fiancé. It was sick and dirty, but Teddy was oblivious to the truth as their tongues met.

Jared played the part, but his heart wasn't fully in on it. He embraced Teddy and allowed the alien teenager to assume dominance in a way that Billy would. The water-bender had done his homework on the mage, learning his mannerisms even after the illusion/spell created by Deception granted him a copy of Billy's memories.

However, to him, this only reminded Jared of his past. He was in a situation that he didn't want to be in, but some superior man was forcing him into this position. In this case, Supernova was the superior/dominate/whatever man you wanted to call him.

Since his coming out to his family was less than stellar both from a Mutant and gay teenager perspective, Jared spent his time living on the streets. His parents avoided him when he first developed his powers out of fear, but when they discovered he was gay that was the last straw for them. Being disowned from his family meant that Jared was forced to grow up and face the cruel realities of the world on his own.

The world wasn't kind to him, not in the part of the Midwest that he grew up in. He thought about escaping to New York for the Xavier School, but those plans were derailed when he meant his first "boyfriend", the term being used loosely since he was more of a pimp then a lover. Jared was a whore for his fifteenth to his seventeenth years of life as he bounced around from town to town, bed to bed, and pimp to pimp. It was a sick cycle that left him dead on the inside until he had been brought to The Organization where he met Terra, the first good thing to happen to him since before he told his parents the truth about himself.

It was Terra that Jared wanted to be kissing right now, but he couldn't be since they both had their assignments. So shutting his mind down and being the good little whore that he was, Jared pretended that he was getting something that he actually wanted in order to protect that last bit of his dignity as he succumbed to Teddy's advances.

* * *

Entering their temporary base, Jared's footsteps created echoes that vibrated against the walls with every step that he made. Despite wearing a pair of flats, the emptiness of their base meant that he had to suffer from the annoyance of any little noises.

Jared was about to open his mouth when he heard a door opening across the flat. He looked to see that it was just Sasha. What was odd though was that Viktor was not either in front of her or following up behind her, which seemed very strange due to just how close those two usually were.

Sasha descended down a set of stairs with the heels of her black boots creating a far louder echo than Jared's shoes did. Her fitted dress swayed with every step that she took as she finally took a good look at the slightly messy Jared. "It's not necessary for you to sleep with the alien boy," she said to her comrade. "We don't need DNA samples."

"You're so funny, lover," Jared said, glaring as she started to walk towards her. "For your information, I didn't have sex with the boy. We had a date at the park, clothes get messy when you're outdoors for a long period of time." That was only half of the truth as one of the more embarrassing moments of the date replayed in his mind. "And also because you trip and end up rolling down a hill." Jared could at least say that Teddy Altman was a gentleman and show genuine concern for his wellbeing, even if the alien was led to believe that Jared was his real boyfriend.

"Poor thing," Sasha said, without showing any signs of true sincerity. She walked away from him as she entered the kitchen to grab something to make herself a meal with. She had spent the better part of the day monitoring the situation between the Avengers and X-Men on a larger scale then the secretive operation that Terra and Ventus were involved in.

At least one thing was going according the plan. Namor's fragment of the Phoenix Force removed itself from him after he led an attack that virtually destroyed Wakanda. Now the Phoenix Force was only among four of the X-Men, which was playing right into their hand. Their wickedness and sin was corrupting the Phoenix, drastically disrupting the balance of power in the universe.

Jared was unaware of all this, despite hearing the details of the attack on the news, since his primary focus was dealing with the Young Avengers. He remained oblivious to the bigger picture as he followed Sasha's movements, still noticing that Viktor was nowhere to be found.

It was then that Sasha informed him that Viktor was reporting to Supernova on their progress. He wouldn't be back for a couple of hours, not until Supernova was satisfied enough by whatever information that Viktor would be reporting.

And that all really meant that Jared would be stuck here with Sasha. It was going to be an evening that he was not looking forward too. Where Viktor could at least hold a conversation, Sasha either refused to speak or didn't know how. But since Jared had a general idea of the background she gave from, he wondered just how much of it was programmed into her by Middle Eastern culture and how much of it was of her own freewill.

There's that damn word, freewill. Jared couldn't stand thinking about it due to the trouble freewill brought him throughout his life. It was a burden, not a gift.

Ignoring that thought though, Jared decided that he would figure out just how to get Sasha to open up to him just a little bit.

"It looks like it's just going to be a girls' night then," Jared said, grinning at Sasha. "Want to get into our pjs and gab about cute boys?"

"Shut up," Sasha said as she prepared herself a sandwich.

"Don't feel like it," Jared said, still grinning. "You see, Sasha love, I know nothing about you. I know less about you then I know about Viktor and Nova, which is pretty said considering none of us know a damn thing about Nova. All I got going for you is that your Middle Eastern, the rest is all theories."

"Your point, whore?" she said with all the insult she had.

"My point is, who the fuck are you?" Jared said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How am I supposed to trust or work with you if I don't know a dam thing about you? We all know what happened with Joseph and Vanessa before they joined. And you know what I was before Nova recruited me. Just how do you and Viktor fit into all of this?"

Trails of electrical energy began to crack over Sasha's skin as she eyed Jared. She could easily zap the rude brat to death, but she refrained from doing just that. Her past was her past, but he was right that they needed to know at least a few things about each other to maintain the power of The Organization.

Sasha spoke, explaining she came from one of the poorest of the poor regions in Pakistan, which also happened to be very religious.

When she was younger, she refused to marry the man that her father had arranged for her since he was over fifty. She was going to be executed for disobeying her father when a nearby transformer exploded. The electrical energy that was unleashed happened to be near Sasha, which hit her with full force. Instead of being killed though, her body was able to absorb the electrical energy, granting her the powers that she wielded today.

The village wanted to kill her since they believed her to be a demon. She fled to safety until she managed to make it all the way to Istanbul, Turkey. She stayed there for about a year when she finally met Viktor. That is when their companionship began and the two of them worked together to survive in the city.

"Two years later, Supernova found us and recruited us into The Organization," said Sasha. "Neither of us has looked back since then. Now, we have the chance to have the power and security that we never could've had from our old lives."

"How did Viktor get dragged into this?" Jared asked, finally feeling bad for Sasha now that he knew some of her story.

She refused to answer that since that was Viktor's story. She could only grab her sandwich after that and left Jared alone with questions brewing on a great deal of things.

Jared knew that he could pick Viktor's mind for questions, but he needed to look deeper if he was going to find out about Nova.

* * *

Halfway across the city, Eli and Samantha were playing catch-up with The Vision and Landon. They were getting info on what happened earlier in the fight against the Rhino since the two of them failed to show up to assist them.

Landon told them that Mulan was far stronger than any of them expected by saying she seemed stronger now than when she was under The Organization's control. The Vision concurred with his observation, which led to a theory that Mulan was stronger because she had regained her freewill and was able to fight for her own reasons not The Organization's agenda.

As they walked along one of the busier streets, Eli threw his arms back over his neck to stretch which caused his t-shirt to ride up a little. Stress lines formed along his face as he turned over to The Vision, who was under disguise to blend in. "I'm really sorry that we weren't there, guys," said Eli. "It was my fault. Samantha followed me to help keep me company."

"Company for what?" asked a suspicious Landon. It was bad enough that Tommy and Kate and also Billy and Teddy were all shacked up together. It couldn't be healthy for the team if everyone just kept dating each other, especially since teenage relationships tended to get very dramatic.

"We went to see his grandparents," Samantha said, jumping into the conversation as she wedged herself between Landon and The Vision.

A surprise looked formed on The Vision's face as he turned to Eli. Under this disguise, The Vision no longer bore any resemblance at all to Nathaniel Richards as he did before. The Jonas persona was gone with The Vision now looking more like his supportive, new friend, Landon. Granted, it wasn't a striking resemblance, but he did use more Native American features to create the hologram of this alias as followed his friends as they continued their walk.

"You haven't seen your grandparents yet, Eli?" asked The Vision.

Eli could only shake his head as he kept his eyes forward. "I haven't had the chance," he confessed. "I know that makes me sound like a bad or lazy grandson, but it's true. With everything that's been going on lately, especially with The Organization running around, I just haven't had the time to go see them. Today had seemed calm at first which is why I wasn't there when you guys needed me."

"It's alright, Eli," said Landon.

That helped to make Eli feel a little better, but there was still some guilt there as he knew that he should've been there for the fight. He had promised himself to be there for his team more, he was thankful that it wasn't a situation where he was desperately needed. It was a good thing that Mulan was there to help and that she was powerful enough to take down the Rhino.

"Now why couldn't Teddy or the twins help?" asked Samantha. "Billy could've magicked them there instantly, couldn't he?"

"The twins have a bad case of food poisoning," said The Vision. "The two of them would be no good to us at all in their present condition. Tommy wouldn't be able to run fast without throwing up and Billy won't be able to concentrate long enough to cast a spell because he would be busy throwing up."

"Ew," Samantha said, fake gagging from what The Vision said. "Never mind I asked then."

"I wouldn't be surprised if those two are huddled over a toilet seat together, fighting for whose turn it is to throw up," laughed Landon.

* * *

"BLAHAHALAHALHA!"

His head sunk away from the toilet bowl as his hand briefly touched the handle to flush the mess he made down. It took a longtime before he could even find the strength to move again, but that in part came with the urge to vomit again. Tears ran down his cheeks as he got back up and let the chunks fly as he buried his face in the toilet blow until he was done then flushed again.

Tommy got up and made it to the sink to wash his mouth out again. Lucky for him that today was a lighter day. He had only thrown up three times today compared to the ten times he did yesterday so it seemed that the worst of it was finally leaving his system. But he still knew he wouldn't be jumping any fences anytime soon, at least not till he could keep some chicken broth down long enough to properly digest it.

Tommy turned, dragging his feet along the carpet in Billy's bedroom as he made his way to the spare bed that Billy's parents set up for him. His boxers hiked their way up a bit as he collapsed on top of the mattress with his head hanging off the edge of the bed.

"I hate you, Billy," groaned Tommy. "I hate you…and I hate your crappy taste in…Taiwanese food."

Groaning, Billy picked his head up from the edge with a ball of tissues in his hand. He looked as much of a mess as Tommy did. Both boys looked very clammy with their eyes being watery from all the crying they did from all the throwing up.

"Fuck you!" Billy said, using all his strength to say those two words before collapsing again.

Tommy burped, which luckily didn't lead into any spit up. He had since abandoned wearing shirts, something that Billy did too, since it was making a difficult mess to clean up. Billy mumbled something else under his breath, something that Tommy couldn't hear and didn't exactly give a damn about.

For about four days now, the two of them have been fighting over who was going to get more time with the toilet as they threw up everything in their stomachs. It felt like an entire lifetime of digested food and drink was rushing out of them in an instant. It was messy, it was painful, and they just both wanted to die at the end of the day.

But it was a mixed blessing that neither one had thrown up much that day. It meant that could actually survive until the end of the day, but it also meant that their bodies could be playing a very cruel joke as the poison could get them back tomorrow.

Billy and Tommy wanted to cry so bad, but they were too tired and their heads were killing them too much do anything else. Not to mention, it was really starting to stink in the room even with the constant spray of air freshener and a window opened up to let in fresher air. There was no such thing though as the two boys felt utterly miserable as they were both trapped in this sickly room.

"Can't you cast a spell to make us feel better?" asked Tommy.

Billy groaned as he picked his head up from his filthy bed sheets. "For the last time, Tommy, I can't!" he said, holding back as his stomach tightened up. "If I could concentrate long enough to say a spell to cure us then I would've done so by now. We're just going to have to deal with it and keep taking our prescription till we're better."

It was Tommy's turn to groan as he grabbed the bottle of pills from the floor. It was time to take another dose that would hopefully kill the bacteria that was making him completely sick. "I bet Captain America never gets sick," said Tommy as he popped back a few pills. "If I throw up anymore then I'm going to lose my abs. My muscles will be all gone and I'll be nothing but just ribs."

"Like I'm doing so much better," Billy said, wanting some something for himself too since Tommy was being a little selfish with the spotlight. "At this rate, I'm gonna lose my ass."

"I don't need to hear it!" Tommy said, cutting Billy off before he went any further. "We don't need to venture into your sex life with the illegal alien and the creepy interspecies marriage that will soon follow."

"Keep it up, Tommy, when I get better I'm gonna curse you with Chlamydia," Billy said, getting up now as he felt the urge to vomit.

Tommy flipped off his twin as Billy slammed the bathroom door shut. The sound of Billy vomiting now caused Tommy to laugh as he shouted at Billy that "Karma's a real bitch". Billy continued to throw up, louder this time since he was yelling at Tommy at the same time.

* * *

A bag slung over her shoulders, Kate stepped outside of the soup kitchen just before the sun was about to set on another glorious day. She had just finished some volunteer work at a soup kitchen that she liked to volunteer with at a local church. It had been a good day, fortunately enough, they weren't as busy since some of their usuals were finally getting back on their feet. It was a good sign in such a dreary world, especially since Kate knew of the dangers that were lurking in the world from the Phoenix Force, the warring heroes, and The Organization's devious plots.

It was all one gigantic mess, one that gave Kate a massive headache as she gave it a second of her thought. In order to survive the rest of her day and make certain that it ended pleasantly enough, Kate tried to ignore those thoughts as she called herself a taxi.

When she got in, she got a call from The Vision. She listened to him hearing back on the health of the twins, which was good since they were getting over the worst that the food poisoning had to offer. It would just take them another day or two before they were well enough to be able to function in their superhero duties, which Kate thought was wonderful as she got off the phone with him. The sooner that the twins got better meant that the team would be back together and ready in case The Organization or some other big bad decided to strike.

Somehow, Kate felt in her bones that something big was about to happen.

Stopping a few blocks from her home, Kate paid her driver and walked the rest of the way home. She stayed silent and focused on her surroundings just as it was getting a little later in the day. Not that she was too frightened since she was armed just in case of an emergency, but she hoped that she wouldn't need to use her weapon.

Kate was almost home when a bump against her shoulder caught her attention. She snapped out of her train of thought to see that she had in fact bumped into Billy. Only it wasn't the real Billy Kaplan, it was Jared. As soon as she laid eyes on him, the effects of the illusion and spell began to worm their way into her mind, corrupting it to see Jared as Billy.

"Oh hey, Billy!" Kate said, smiling at him. "What are you doing all the way in this side of town?"

Jared paused for a moment, recognizing the young woman for who she was. He was pleased to see that the illusion was continuing to stand strong, but nervous nonetheless though as he kept his guard up around her. "I'm not up too much, Kate," he said, warmly enough. "I just felt like going out for a walk. How are you doing? Did you just come back from saving the world?"

Laughing a little at the bad joke, Kate nodded her head as Billy began to follow her home. "You know me," she said, "I can't get enough of depressing soup kitchens. It was good though. We served a lot of people dinner and got them settled in to someplace warm to sleep for the night."

"That's always good," said Jared. "Well, I better be going now. I have to get back home before my mom yells at me." Jared knew that he needed to get away from Kate since he wasn't prepared to deal with the Young Avengers' leader. He didn't want to risk his cover, especially since he was aware that the real Billy was currently sick in bed.

"Alright, see ya, Billy," Kate said, waving him off as he disappeared down the road.

Jared disappeared down the road within a minute just as Kate had turned away to resume her walk home.

Once the distance was great enough, the effects of the illusion wore off with Kate forgetting that the encounter even happened. All she remembered was that she was walking when she bumped into some guy for just a minute. It all happened so fast and it was so believable that she didn't even find it suspicious at all as she walked towards her home. The remarkable web and power behind the spell made it certain that no suspicions would be drawn so long as Jared was careful, which was proven true once more as even Kate fell for the trick.

But for how much longer though would Jared be able to trick the Young Avengers? How much longer till he ended the game and made his move against them?

* * *

There was a knock at the door with a pair of groans going off at once.

Opening the door just a crack, Teddy stuck his head through to see how miserable Billy and Tommy looked in their separate beds. The twins turned their heads to see Teddy there, Billy tried to smile while Tommy just groaned louder as he knew how much this was going to suck. Teddy felt pity for them both as he entered Billy's bedroom with a heavy plastic bag in hand with a delicious aroma coming out of it.

Tommy's head came up from his pillow with his entire body moving too. He sniffed the air and his stomach began to rumble in a positive way as he crawled over towards Teddy as the alien walked towards Billy's bed. "What's that?" asked Tommy. "It smells so fucking good."

Smiling, Teddy pulled out two containers with a pair of spoons. "I brought you guys some soup," he said to them. "Billy, I got you your favorite chicken noodle. Tommy, I got that egg drop soup that you like so much."

"You are too sweet," Billy said, running his hand up his boyfriend's arm. He propped himself up so that he could eat easier just as Teddy scooted closer to help him eat.

Before Billy could even open the container though, Tommy raced across the room and threw himself at Teddy. The speedster wrapped his arms around Teddy tightly, squeezing him half to death. "You are the best future brother-in-law ever!" Tommy said, refusing to relinquish his hold on Teddy even after Billy started to threaten his brother.

With an awkward smile on his face, Teddy didn't know what else to do as he just simply patted Tommy on the head. At least he didn't have to worry about getting into a debate about having to get Tommy's permission to marry his brother. But Teddy wondered just how much of it was Tommy talking or if it was the sick, overly medicated Tommy that was professing his platonic love for the alien. Teddy was still grossed out though since he got a whiff of Tommy's stench even though Billy had a similar stink too.

Billy could only roll his eyes as he began to eat his soup, while Tommy continued to hog his fiancé.

* * *

While the boss was away, the kid was at play. Jared was inside The Organization's headquarters since Supernova was gone for the time being so he felt it was the opportunity that he wanted to gather the information that he desperately wanted. So he wandered into Nova's private quarters to discover that it was more like a lab then a bedroom.

It was dark and dreary, which frightened Jared was he wondered just what type of place he was in. He approached the central computer which was about as large as the one in the main chamber, making Jared wondered just what it was that Supernova was up to. He began to access the network by applying some skills that Viktor and Vanessa taught him when he first became a member of The Organization.

Due to his youth, charm, and litheness, Jared was able to infiltrate numerous places undetected. It was a skill that led him to gathering numerous information, which benefited The Organization, especially when Osborn created his Dark Avengers.

Jared broke through the security that Supernova had put into place. After that, Jared was able to access a countless web of information from everything that The Organization had gathered since its inception and before then. Chains of information streamed through the screen, filling Jared with countless bits of knowledge that he deemed unnecessary for the time being.

At least until he finally found something interesting.

What he discovered was a codex on The Source.

Jared synthesized everything he saw until he could process it clearly enough. His hands froze on the keyboard once he finally realized just what it was that Supernova was attempting to unleash upon the world. It was a power so old, so powerful, and so malevolent that there was nothing in the multi-verse that could stand up to it.

The Source was a primordial power that came before the bang. The Source was a force of power that knew no limits. Jared scrolled more to see that The Source was no ordinary power, he was The Source of All-Chaos.

"The Devil of all Devils," whispered Jared. "How could we have been so blind? I knew Nova was up to no good, but he wants us to free the Ultimate Evil!"

However, that wasn't the end of it. Jared learned more about what Supernova was up to and who The Source was, making him all the more nauseous. It only got worse the more he read, making him tear up as he realized just how evil The Organization truly was. No, it was beyond evil, it was purely demonic.

Jared continuously flinched as he read more until he found something equally disturbing. It was an encrypted file that he broke into, unaware of just what he was going to see when he saw the initials C. L. pop up. A flashing icon appeared on the screen which Jared clicked on, prompting a doorway to open up from across the room.

It made Jared's skin crawl to see this, but he went in either way. The water-bender followed a long hallway until he heard a serious of beeping that made it sound like he was in a hospital. Unsure just what this meant, Jared continued to march onward until he entered the room to see something that shouldn't be. His eyes widened as he saw a body floating inside a giant tube that was keeping her alive.

"What did you do now, Nova?" whispered Jared as he stared at this ghost of the past.

Inside the tube was Cassie Lang, the daughter of Ant-Man II, and the Young Avenger who sacrificed her life to save her friends from an all-powerful Doctor Doom. And here she was, defying Death as Supernova kept her alive for whatever devious plot that he was conducting.

The memories that Jared had of her that originated from Billy came to the surface as he wept. He looked at Cassie Lang, weeping as he became well aware that Cassie was still alive.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: So well...YAY FOR ALL MY REVIEWERS! I love you, guys. I hope you like this chapter because this is where things begin to fall apart with the Billy and Jared problem. Oh yes yes. Prepare yourselves because some of you might hate me. But I promise that you'll love me in the next chapter. You'll just have to review to see what's all going to happen. Thanks again everyone. Read and review!  
**

**Breaking Billy:**

_Something seemed odd about Billy lately, but I just couldn't but my finger on it. I don't know why but sometimes when I'm around him I can feel my head swimming erratically. Maybe it was just me or maybe there was something off with his powers again. I just can't see why his powers would be acting wonky, especially since Doctor Strange said he was just fine. _

_I'm really starting to think that it's just me though. I'm sure that everything with Billy was fine; it's all in my head. _

_Everything was fine. I mean, they were. We've only gotten closer since the Crusade. Our relationship was stronger than ever, especially since we're getting married. I can't think of any reason that Billy might have to sabotage that even from a subconscious perspective. Billy has always been the one trying to move our relationship forward, despite his pathological shyness, while I've been the one taking things slowly, despite my passionate tendencies. _

_Then why did I feel like something was bothering me? Why am I so adamant about this when there is nothing wrong with us? Everything is going swimmingly so I should just be happy with everything that's happening. We're all stronger than we've ever been, all of us. _

_My relationship with Billy is moving forward, I'm even getting along with Tommy, and the team has finally picked itself back up. The unity that we had in the beginning has finally repaired itself to make us a real team again. Everything is just perfect now, or at least the closest to perfect as we can ever possibly get._

_At least that's what I've been trying to convince myself of. Somehow, I just couldn't sleep easy these last couple of days because I can feel that something here isn't right. It feels like somebody or something is toying with us. Maybe it's The Organization or maybe it's something else entirely like someone as mysterious to us as The Source. _

_I know I should just ignore this, but I can't help but to feel a little disturbed. I should just ignore these things, I have to keep moving on with my life and deal with these troubles when they actually show themselves. _

* * *

Teddy ignored all those thoughts as he walked down the street with his hand interlocked with Jared as their abomination of a date was coming towards an end. If only Teddy could realize that Jared was playing a trick on him by pretending to be Billy. The effect of The Organization's spell was really making its mark on Teddy, but he was oblivious to the truth.

It would be hard to counter against a spell as powerful as this one by sheer force of will. It would take a force equally as possible as the spell to counteract it and the only potential trigger wasn't currently around to do just that.

Jared knew how fragile the spell could be if Billy found out about them. He was well aware of that risk as he made sure to keep his rendezvous with Teddy as hidden as possible as well as the other interactions he had with some of the Young Avengers. It didn't mean he liked it though, especially after what he discovered on Nova's private files. There were so many lies on top of lies that it made Jared nauseous just thinking about it as he continued to walk alongside Teddy.

Eventually, the two finally came to a stop outside of a subway line. Jared chose to end the date here since he had some personal thinking to do. He turned to Teddy, admiring the handsome, alien teen, feeling the guilt boiling up in his stomach as Teddy attempted to kiss him.

Teddy's lips grazed Jared's cheek with Jared mumbling goodbye softly under his breath. Jared left, disappearing once he was outside of the spell's range.

Teddy once more felt a slight tingle in his head as he found himself standing there. His memories had been rewritten that he had taken the subway to get here when he remembered that he was supposed to go to Billy's place. A broad smile formed on his face as he was finally thrilled that his boyfriend had finally gotten over his bout with food poisoning two days ago. It finally meant that they could return to being intimate with each other, and it also meant that he wasn't going to get any bizarre, drug-induced hugs from Tommy.

So he quickly moved through the city until he made it to the Kaplans' house. He saw that most of the lights were off at the moment except for the light in Billy's bedroom. This seemed like a good sign for Teddy as he figured that the family was out of the house at least for the next couple of hours which meant uninterrupted fun time.

Knocking on the door, Teddy found that the door unlocked and expected to see Billy standing there. Instead, he found that there was nobody there which meant that the door had been unlocked by magic which meant Billy was up to something. Teddy could help but to keep on smiling as he shut and locked the door behind him. The excitement really started to go wild as he ran up the stairs to Billy's bedroom.

Teddy opened the door to find that the room was softly lit by Billy's magic with romantic indie rock playing. The alien teen entered the bedroom to find Billy lying on his bed, with newly bought bedding, without a stitch of clothing on him. Billy certainly looked good as he showed off his youthful, lean frame with a treasure trail leading from his belly button and Teddy's favorite body part.

"Hi," Billy said, moving one of his arms underneath his head to show off his underarms.

Licking his lips, Teddy ripped of his clothes quicker than even Billy could if he used a spell. "Hello there, sexy," said Teddy. Now that he was equally naked, his larger frame easily towered over Billy, which came from his alien physiology. He crawled on top of Billy, the nakedness of their skin met as did their hard-ons as they embraced one another.

Time wasn't wasted as the young lovers came together in a moment of much needed passion.

* * *

While Billy and Teddy were having sexy fun time, Tommy was busy getting it on at the headquarters. Granted, it wasn't sexual situation like his twin was locked in. Tommy was having fun though as he had finally gotten over his illness so that he could be here training with Mulan, Sam, and Eli.

Tommy was fairly happy that he wasn't facing off against Mulan at the moment. It was Eli that was climbing over that hurdle as the young supersoldier was getting his ass kicked by a little Asian girl, which Tommy found to be hilarious.

Returning his attention back to his own fight, Tommy worked fast to avoid getting hit by Sam's punch. Despite not having superhuman abilities, she was oddly fast and light on her feet almost in a way that it made Tommy question if she was faking not having any powers. Tommy sidestepped the punch and moved in with an attack of his own only to have Sam push her weight to the side as she snatched Tommy's wrist. She pushed it up to cause Tommy to lose his balance before driving her knee into his chest.

All the cockiness ran out from his body as Tommy dropped to his knees as Sam continued to stand over him. Tommy clenched onto his sides as he resisted the urge cry like a little kid. Suddenly it got a lot harder for him to breathe which gave him a feeling similar to he had a couple of days ago where he was vomiting uncontrollably.

"Stay down, bitch," Sam said, laughing as she started walking away from him.

Placing a hand on the mat, Tommy resisted the urge to do just that. His own pride caught up to him enough where he could resist the pain long enough to get back at her. He moved quickly to swing his leg around on the mat to knock Sam off her feet and down on the mat with him before she could get too far.

Sam landed on her back with a loud gasp escaping her just as Tommy fell too with the pain catching up to him quickly.

"Truce?" Sam said, feeling a slight pain in her back.

"True," Tommy said, holding onto his stomach.

In just a few moments, Eli was also in a position similar to them. He was busy dancing with Mulan who wasn't about to show much mercy to him as she fought head on. Their fight was a little more brutal since both of them had superhuman strength and stamina so there wasn't much need to hold themselves back.

Mulan was gone like a bullet as she moved far quicker than even Eli could handle. Her biologically-engineered, Kree abilities were once again about to prove themselves to be superior to the supersoldier serum in a big way. Eli tried to disorient Mulan with some dizzying blows, but Mulan was able to see through all of those attacks as she weaved through every opening that he made.

Eli brought down with a series of hits. Mulan dropped low to punch Eli in the knee before jumping up to hit him with an uppercut. The blows didn't break anything, but he was wounded enough that his healing abilities needed to kick themselves in as he dropped down on the mat. He crashed on his back with his jaw and knee killing him as his healing abilities couldn't work quickly enough to numb the pain.

Smiling from her handiwork, Mulan cheered for victory as she got off the mat to find something to eat, leaving the rest of them behind.

"I…hate…her," Eli mumbled, while his jaw aching something fierce.

"I like her," Tommy said, laughing as his stomach finally started not to hurt. "She's a badass."

"Amen to that," Sam said as she started to get up.

Eli ignored the rest of them as he retreated inside his shell when Mulan came back with a cup of yogurt and a spoon. Tommy started to crack jokes about how Eli was scared of a girl and didn't want to get his ass kicked again.

* * *

There was a special place in Hell waiting for them for what they were doing. Jared was positive of this as he stood in the middle of Supernova's hidden laboratory. The entire experiment was an abomination upon abominations, which was being supported by the rest of The Organization despite their consent. If only the rest of the members were aware of just what Nova had done and was using them for then it would surely lead to a revolt.

But Jared couldn't be one hundred percent certain of that. He looked at Cassie Lang as she floated inside a giant tube that was keeping her alive against what surely was her own freewill. Seeing her reminded Jared of the morality that he once he held before all of this madness started, he remembered his old innocence. The old him would've never allowed himself to be manipulated by such a demon but since his family had disowned him, he stopped caring about things like right and wrong.

All he wanted was to make people hurt like he did, but that wasn't the right thing to do.

Jared knew now that Supernova's manipulations were at the behest of a real devil. It was utterly terrifying for him just how deep he was getting dragged into this, it also scared him just what Supernova was hoping to come out of this. He couldn't believe how they had gotten involved with that monster. Nova exploited all of them in order to pave the way for The Source to arrive and destroy existence.

This wasn't what any of them signed up for. And the atrocities that Nova put upon these girls was not right either.

Touching the tube, Jared looked to see how close to being lifeless Cassie was. She seemed so frail and on the verge of death, but she was so woefully forced to into staying alive despite the sacrifice she had made. Jared was well aware of how Cassie Lang sacrificed herself to out of revenge for her father and to save the Young Avengers, the Avengers, and the X-Men from Doctor Doom. She deserved better than what it was that Nova had planned for her, Jared wouldn't allow Nova to destroy another life.

Jared looked over to see a keyboard nearby that appeared to be in control of Cassie's life support. He knew what to do as he approached it and began to tamper with the system. He accessed the system then quickly began to dismantle its delicate structure to put an end to Nova's plan for her. The girl deserved mercy, she deserved to face the death that she was entitled to before she could be exploited by that monster.

At least now she could die in peace.

"One of us has it easy," whispered Jared as the system came to a crash. He looked as the fluids were being drained from the tube as Cassie was gently being brought from suspension. She was falling down to her legs with her chest and head slumped against the thick plastic. "You can rest now, child. Your journey is finally over. Now I must go and face my crimes."

Jared turned away from Cassie to embrace his own demise. There was no doubt in his mind that Nova would find out about what he did soon enough. Even though Nova was investigating the damages done in Wakanda and expanding his plots against the rest of the Phoenix Five, it would only be a matter of time before hell rained down on Jared for removing Cassie from the equation.

The Organization did not appreciate a traitor that was something Supernova made clear to them. Jared was a dead man walking now, there would be no mercy shown to him if The Organization should get his hands on him.

But he didn't care since Jared knew he had to do the right thing. He had to stand up for himself now.

First though, he had one more debt to settle. The charade that he had with the Young Avengers needed to end. The spell had to be broken so to release them from the burden so that they could focus their attention on the evils being committed by The Organization.

And with any luck, Jared could anger Billy enough to kill him. It would be far better if he died from the mage's hands then by Nova's hands.

However, as Jared left The Organization's headquarters, he was unaware of something else happening. Inside the tube, a fist was smashing against the plastic continuously until it finally broke when the body inside expanded to a larger size.

Taking in a desperate breath of air, Cassie Lang removed the wires and tubes that had been involved in keeping her alive inside the tube. She fell to the ground with tears streaming down her face as her memories about everything was gone as she looked up to see herself in unfamiliar surroundings.

The one thing Cassie did know was that she needed to get as far away from here as possible.

* * *

If it were possible for a Synthazoid to get drunk then he sure as hell would. Since that couldn't happen, The Vision could only do the next best thing and that was wallowing in his misery. The memories that he had of Cassie were just too strong to ignore as it grieved him so by trying to find out how to live without her.

He was grateful in his friends for bringing him back because he wanted so badly to help them in their struggle to keep the world safe. With foes as powerful as The Organization, The Vision knew that his services were desperately needed so he was accepting of that. It's just when the fighting was over and there was no need for research that the ache in where if he had a true heart would be was a lot for him to bear. It was a constant pain that showed no sign of letting up, which made The Vision almost regret refusing to let Nathaniel from saving Cassie.

The damage to the Time Stream though would be severe. Cassie wouldn't want to be saved if it meant that her return would potentially lead to her friends' suffering. It was something that they all had to remember when Nathaniel's presence endangered the flow of time. The history of Kang the Conqueror had been dangerously tampered with, creating a world in where most of them never existed.

Still, The Vision felt that there should've been more that they could've done to save her. If only Cassie hadn't thought her father had been killed by Doctor Doom or if Billy and Wanda were able to cast their spell faster or even if Eli had never thrown that arrow at Wanda. There were so many what if's that it made The Vision feel nothing but guilt gnaw away at his existence as he turned away from the computer station that he had been sitting at.

He looked up to see the time, remembering that the team was coming to the base for dinner. Everyone would be here and it wouldn't do any good for them to see him in such a pitiful state.

The Vision found the strength within himself to pull himself together, but he couldn't help but to wonder something in the back of his mind. He thought if he could just shut off his emotional processor then maybe he could forget this pain so he could focus on the tasks at hand. The pain he had for Cassie and his longing for her would be gone in an instant.

But wouldn't that only disgrace her memory? The Vision had to think about that, which he bore in silence as the door opened up with Kate coming with a tray of food as Billy, Eli, and Sam followed with more food.

The Vision kept quiet about everything as he welcomed them all. As they started to set everything up for dinner, Teddy and Tommy returned from a supply run that they left about an hour ago to make. Landon was in tow as well as he came with some dessert.

Everyone came together at the dinner table, chatting amongst each other while The Vision was present yet oddly distant. No one noticed this really, except for Landon who had become close to The Vision since joining. Landon didn't quite see what it was bothering the Synthazoid, he could only assume that it dealt with The Organization.

Landon attempted to distract The Vision, unaware that those thoughts were of his lost love Cassie, in order to cheer him up. His attempts didn't go ignored but they weren't as successful as he would've wished them to be.

The Vision was still lost from his heartache, but he bore the pain well as he joined his friends in the festivities.

* * *

Everything was moving along its necessary pace. Terra and Ventus had returned from their mission in Wakanda, witnessing the transfer of power of the Phoenix fragments as well as a heating lovers' quarrel between the Black Panther and Storm. It nearly got nasty, but it didn't which caused Terra to call out foul play before his sister dragged him away.

The brother and sister found themselves inside their lair once more to see that it was fairly empty. There was no sign of Supernova and there sure as hell wasn't any sign of their other three colleagues.

Ventus didn't care that much as she ran to a chair to take a seat and begin her relaxation process. With a content sigh she let her hair down, while her brother had a bit of a harder time to allow himself to unwind. She didn't have that problem due to her breezy behavior so she began to pick at her nails as Terra approached their central monitor.

Punching away at the keys, Terra ran through the various cameras that they had monitoring their foes. He could see some of the current fighting going on between the Avengers and the X-Men, he scrolled through those quickly enough since they bore him. The fighting between the two groups hardly even needed The Organization's hand in it to keep it going. They hardly needed anymore fuel for the Phoenix Fire.

What Terra saw when he tried to find his boyfriend was Jared sitting alone in the flat that he was currently residing in with Viktor and Sasha. The three of them were silent as they worked independently until Jared finally left the room for some reason that would be unknown to Terra for the moment.

Next, the Young Avengers came on the screen with images of the young heroes gathered together for dinner. It was a nice spread which made Terra a little hungry, but he ignored all of that as he finally cut the screen and turned away feeling a little frustrated.

Sensing his issues, Ventus would continue to ignore her brother as she focused on her own relaxation.

However, the silence between the two would come to a crashing halt. A wave of darkness swept inside their headquarters as Supernova finally appeared before them, returning from his own mission. The older man stepped out from the darkness that he had emerged from to see Terra and Ventus had returned as well. He barely paid them much mind as he approached the computer to pull up an image of a discussion between Colossus and Magik.

Cutting the image, Supernova would turn away with a smile on his face now. The grim look brought chills to Terra and Ventus as they were both well aware that wasn't a good look.

"And so two more shall fall," laughed Supernova. "I already have an Avenger in mind that will be clever enough to defeat the brother and sister thus bringing the Phoenix closer to restoring itself whole."

"Who might that be?" said Terra.

"Our friendly, neighborhood Spiderman," Supernova said, simply. "His sixth-sense will allow him to counter some of their attacks to the point where they might destroy each other."

Ventus laughed at how fun of a fight that would be to see. She was a bit of a fan of Spiderman so she felt a little bad that he was going to be Supernova's guinea pig in all of this.

Aside from that, a thought brought Ventus back in check as she turned to her attention back to their enigmatic leader. She spat at him that Hope Summers was still missing and so was the Scarlet Witch. There was no trace of either one of them, but Ventus stated that she knew for certain that some of the Avengers would know.

It was a good piece of information. Supernova knew that so long as Hope Summers remained hidden that the X-Men would have a "reason" to continue fighting.

But that wasn't the end of it, at least for Supernova. He turned to Terra next as he had a specific mission for Terra to handle. Sensing this, Terra straightened up as Supernova approached him with a grim expression on his face.

"There is a dilemma that I want you to handle," Supernova said to Terra. "We have a traitor amongst us that I believe that you can qualify to remove."

Terra's heart tightened for a second as he had a bad feeling with what Supernova was requesting of him. He remained silent, however, while waiting for Supernova to continue with what he had to say.

And then he said it, Terra's heart stopped when he heard who it was that he had to deal with. "It seems that Aqua has betrayed us," said Supernova. "He has turned his back on us by violating some of my experiments in order to stop us of our plots. For that, he must be executed. We cannot tolerate such a disgrace amongst us, you must kill Aqua. Is that understood?"

What Terra wanted to tell Supernova was that he could just rot in Hell for that request. However, he understood that Supernova was far more powerful then he was. The man could simply destroy the earth-bender with the flick of the wrist.

Lucky for him that Ventus was the one who intercepted them. She stood beside her brother, assuring their leader that Jared would be removed from the equation. Pleased by this, Supernova would leave the siblings to the task, while Terra's blood boiled over.

Terra could not do this. He couldn't kill Aqua, he couldn't kill someone that he truly loved. It would pain him as much as it would if he killed his own sister. This was something that he could not do, he refused.

Ventus didn't appear to care though as she stood there, stoic like as she forced her brother to follow her lead.

* * *

Lost without much focus, her feet where the only thing carrying her as she wandered down the road. She would earn the occasional stare and some people would even appear to try to help her through this haze that seemed to hold onto her. It wouldn't be enough though as the girl was lost, broken from the trauma that she had been forced to suffer for a year.

Cassie was hardly any better than a zombie. She could barely keep her body moving, a body that should've been dead by now only it wasn't. Unaware to her even if she had been truly aware of herself was the mystical bond that had connected itself to her body. The mystic arts were forcing her to stay alive in a way that it was uncertain if she could continue to exist without Nova's vigilance.

Without a mind though there was no point in her caring. She only knew to keep on moving, striving to find something that was connected to a feeling that she had inside of her. There was a memory though that lingered behind all of it, one thought that pierced through the haze. It was just a handsome face that was full of hate and evil followed by a feeling of intense heat that ended with positively nothing.

This little fragment of a memory was what Cassie had. From that, she knew that she shouldn't be alive, but other than that there was nothing there for her to claim. There were no other memories there that she could attempt to snatch to piece herself together. It would've made her sad if she had a functional mind.

Cassie dragged her feet with every step that she took. She ignored the strange looks and she ignored all helpful hands that came her way. What she focused on was a bit of light that remained a mystery to her until she could find it. Maybe if she could find it then she would be able to end this mindless suffering she was trapped in.

Her body was a prison and her mind was trapped in solitary.

There would be hope though when Cassie made it further down the road. She spotted a light at the end of the tunnel as she saw it standing there. She could see a building that was lit up inside, showing that there was life roaming around inside.

Pushing forward, Cassie would try and reach the building with a hand extended now. Her shattered mind reached out to that bit of hope but was met with resistance when something else touched her. A scream loudly erupted from her throat as Cassie tried to break free so to reach that light to save herself from this cavern of darkness only to be turned away from the light to meet a face that tried to break through the haze.

"Cassie! Cassie, it can't be you!"

Tears started to run down her face, but Cassie just couldn't fully understand why. She knew this face, it was part of that light she tried to claim for herself. However, even when this familiar face stepped closer to hug her, Cassie wasn't fully certain who it was. She felt happier though as she hugged the figure back with a soft smile forming on his face.

More tears flowed as it was Kate who had discovered Cassie wandering down the street. Unsure of just what this meant or how she was even there, Kate didn't give a damn as she only knew that her best friend was back.

* * *

Teddy crept out of the bathroom with a steam coming out as he stood in the hallway with only a towel strapped around his waist. He felt a little chilly now that he wasn't being drowned with hot water so he scurried on over to his room where he could finally put some real clothes on. In his hurry, he didn't notice a toothy grin on Tommy's face while he went back in his bedroom so Teddy can enjoy his surprise in peace.

Pushing his bedroom door opened, Teddy found somebody waiting on his bed. Another lovely surprise came as Billy was there with hardly a stitch of clothing on him. In fact, the only thing he had one was one of Teddy's larger t-shirts and just a pair of briefs. Teddy could feel Billy's allure as he closed the door, smiling as he crept over to his bed as he dropped his towel.

He climbed on top of the mattress where he met Billy sliding away to give them a little more space on the mattress. The alien teen's weight fell on top of Billy just as their lips were ghosting over each other. "Now what did I do to earn such a delightful visit from you?" asked Teddy. He ran his hand along Billy's side, firmly grabbing a piece of flesh as Billy pressed himself closer.

"Just for being you," whispered Billy as his hand touched Teddy's face.

Only this wasn't Billy. Jared had entered the Young Avengers' headquarters to sign his death sentence as he briefly glanced to Teddy's nightstand where the teen's phone illuminated from a received text. Knowing that this was the best time to move before Supernova could catch him, Jared had to put an end to his suffering and that was why he chose now to move all the way with Teddy.

Their lips came together in an amazing dance of lust. Teddy, believing that he was kissing Billy, felt his desire for his lover reach the boiling point, while even Jared felt a significant amount of tingling running along his spine. It might be because of the danger he was putting himself into or the fact that Death was looming over his shoulder, but Jared had never felt as aroused as he bit down onto Teddy's bottom lip.

A hot groan escaped from Teddy's mouth as he grabbed Jared, twisting them around so that the water-bender was on top. With his back against the mattress now, Teddy pressed Jared closer towards his naked body to feel that warm body against him. He wanted to rip off Jared's clothes, but he refrained from doing that since he did like the feel of the cloth against his flesh. It only served to arouse him all the more, which was what would make this all the more interesting.

Jared's heart was slamming against his chest while he succumbed more to Teddy's skilled tongue. He hadn't realized what wonders that Teddy could achieve with that tongue, but he had to assume it came from the teen being an alien. Either way, Jared surrounded to his whorish ways, despite the feelings he had of wishing he could spend his final moments with Joseph instead.

Finally though, Teddy lifted his body up some as Jared sat perfectly on his lips. The tingle of the kiss was still on his lips when Teddy opened his eyes for the first time in a while. And then it was all gone, the excitement was gone as the haze that was the spell came crashing down all around him.

He didn't quite see it at first until he heard a sharp gasp of air. He immediately turned his head to the side only to see that Billy was standing in the doorway before looking back to the weight of the person that was sitting on his lap.

Teddy felt shock and revulsion against himself as he looked Jared in the eyes. "What the fuck!" shouted the alien teen. "How…who the hell are you!" It wasn't but a second longer that more of the memories came together. The encounters that he had that he thought he had with Billy were erased to show that he had been with Jared all along. "Oh God, what did you do to me?"

Grinning to see that his plan was coming together now, Jared started to move off of Teddy's naked lap. He wanted Billy to see just how far he nearly went with his boyfriend all while looking the witch boy straight in the eye. Now that he could clearly be seen for whom he really was, it can finally begin.

"Oh oh," laughed Jared, "the boyfriend's here; I guess our fun is over."

Realizing just how bad this was in more ways than one, Teddy jumped out of the bed without even thinking about something to cover himself. Not that it would help much since Billy had seen exactly what happened minus the part where the spell came crumbling down. Teddy would try to plead his case though as he tried to reach his boyfriend only to find resistance when a thick wall trapped him around his bed.

"Billy," Teddy whispered, seeing that he was trapped by his magic. "Let me go. It's not what it looks like." He tried once to smash through the wall only to find that not even his strength could smash through. "I can explain."

Shaking, Billy didn't even bother to look at Teddy as he had eyes only for Jared, and those eyes were turning bright blue. The young mutant clenched his fists together, while he felt pain in his chest for being cheated on by his fiancé and to catch him in bed with a member of The Organization. He wanted to know what the cause of this was, but his rage blinded him to this as he prepared to hurl all his magic at once at Jared.

"You bitch!" screamed Billy.

Jared shook his head though at Billy with a cocky grin continuing to grow. On the inside, he felt guilt for the pain that he caused but he couldn't allow those feelings to surface though. "I'm a whore, boy," said the water-bender. "Get your facts straight before you accuse anybody of anything."

Billy didn't even give Jared a chance to put anymore clothes on or say another word. Instead, the teen flew across Teddy's room to latch onto Jared's body before releasing his magic. Instantly, the two of them were transported outside of the Young Avengers' headquarters for another part of the city.

Teddy tried to scream at Billy to comeback just as the wall that kept him trapped collapsed.

* * *

Arriving to their destination, a blast of magic shot through the moonlit sky as Billy brought them to Rockefeller Square. The mage through the water-bender about halfway there so that he would land with his back on the ground. As Billy touched the ground though, his magic shifted more so to dress him in his uniform so that he could fight the home wrecker as Wiccan.

Jared groaned in pain from crashing, but he swallowed all of that. He almost wished that he waited until winter to do this just so he could knock Wiccan around a bit. Refraining from that though, Jared started to climb onto his feet as he gathered his powers together like the mage had done.

Wiccan glared at the water-bender with his fist glowing as his magic bubbled over. There was no point in maintaining control since he desperately wanted to kill Jared now.

Hoping that the witch would go through with it, Jared tore his clothes off with the darkness that he held as a member of The Organization coiling around him. His black uniform covered his person as Aqua made his move onto the soon to be battlefield.

All of the people who were still out and about began to panic as they saw this. The crash was enough to cause some of them to leave, but to see that superpowers were about to collide with total disregard for anyone else's safety was a strong enough clue. The bystanders quickly began to flee the area, while those who were foolish enough to attempt to record and take pictures tried to hide on higher ground.

Aqua cracked his knuckles together as he brought forth water from the nearby fountain. The stream orbited around him in a dense ball that he pulled apart to cover his own fists as he saw how Wiccan's fists radiated with magic. It would surely be on a nuclear scale so Aqua felt that he should have a little something to fight with.

He might have sought out Death, but he wasn't about to let go without a fight.

Wiccan didn't seem to think twice about it as he sprang forward. All he knew was pure anger at this point for having caught Aqua in bed with his fiancé. The boy that he was so hopelessly and desperately in love with had cheated on him with this. It made Wiccan hate himself, but most importantly it made him hate Aqua for being alive.

Aqua could sense the anger that came from Wiccan in every way possible. His sixth sense, his watery mutation, and the simple fact of just being able to recognize the signs of anger led to him understanding that Wiccan was primed exactly in the way that he needed him. Wiccan was angry enough to kill Aqua, to end him of the suffering that was life.

Springing forward as well, Aqua would embrace this death as he and Wiccan finally collided in battle. The two opponents were both lost souls: Aqua who no longer caring about his continued existence since he was as good as dead and Wiccan only sought retribution for the betrayal that he had been dealt with.

Two mutants would enter but only one shall leave alive.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter so much. Trust me, you will be excited with everything that happens. You'll see Billy and Jared fight, Cassie is "back", hell being raised by Supernova, and we finally learn about Billy's connection to The Source! Mwahaha! I'm sure you'll love this chapter, I really do. P.S., if you can figure where the title of the chapter is from then you'll earn an honorable mention in the next chapter. Hint, the title was used for the season finale of a show under the title "Prophecy Girl"! Alright then. Read and review!  
**

**Prophecy Boy: **

_Drifting…further and…further…I was lost, so very lost. My mind…it's gone. _

_How? How do I still exist? I should no longer exist. I knew that. What was left told me so. _

_This world…I'm…I'm no longer supposed to be…to be here…_

_My name? Yes, I have a name though. That girl, she said it. She has screamed it so many times but what was it? Oh, what was it? I can't remember but it's at the very tip of my tongue. I should remember it though. _

_Oh…poor me…everything is gone. Everything has slipped from my fingers even as she holds my hand to take me to that building. Yes! That building, it is special. I know it. I can…I can almost see it._

_There it is! I know what it means to me. I saw my reflection earlier. I could see myself running in and out of that building. There is a part of me there. A part of me, yes, a part of me. I belonged there with this girl and the others. It's starting to make sense. That place…it's the place where my friends and I worked together. I'm connected to it._

"_We're almost there now," said the girl. "You're almost home, Cassie."_

_There it was again! My name, I can see it now._

_Cassie. Yes, that's who I am. I'm Cassie. Cassie. Cassie._

_Cassandra Lang! That is my true name. I remember now. I can…I can almost see it now, it's almost there. _

_I'm remembering bits and pieces. I can…it's almost there. Stature. Yes, I know here too. She was also me, Stature. That was my codename._

_And this girl! I know her too. Her name…her name is Kate. Yes, it's…it's all coming together now._

_I'm almost whole…the fog is finally lifting. My mind, I can…I can almost touch it now._

_I'm almost there…almost alive._

* * *

Before the spell had been broken, Tommy left his bedroom after he heard Teddy and Billy having their fun time. Even though their rooms were on the opposite side of the second floor, he could still hear them going at it sometimes since they had a tendency to get loud. Not wanting to hear his brother or future brother-in-law making the beast with two backs, Tommy decided to get out of there before he heard anything really vocal.

However, that memory was disturbed as Tommy was going down the stairs only to see Billy running up them. The effects of The Organization's spell warped Tommy's mind as he came into contact with his real brother, not the imposter that was inside Teddy's bedroom. As the spell wavered, Tommy greeted Billy before finishing his climb down the stairs as Billy went into Teddy's bedroom to meet the heart-breaking betrayal.

Tommy ran towards the kitchen to get some water since he suddenly had a splitting headache. The conflicting interests of the spells with Billy and Jared in the same building began to counteract each other. Tommy noticed that The Vision bore a similar expression of pain that he did, but he couldn't connect the dots either. None of them could until moments later when their heads really started to hurt.

The spell was broken at the exact moment that the doors to their headquarters opened.

Eventually, the pain subsided to where Tommy could function, although confused now by what had just happened. He paid it no attention though as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before making his way back towards his room.

His course would change though as he noticed that The Vision was standing there, frozen. His superhero mind almost thought that they were being attacked until he looked in the general direction that The Vision was looking at to see the shock of a lifetime. In fact, his heart stopped beating as he saw what he thought was a real ghost. With all the wacky, extraterrestrial, supernatural shit that he's seen, this was by far the most terrifying.

Standing in the middle of the living room was Kate and right beside her was a frail looking Cassie Lang.

The Vision finally started to take a few steps forward, all of them ignoring Teddy's voice above them. The fact that Cassie was here, potentially alive was taking precedent over what was going on upstairs.

Even Tommy was totally enthralled as he approached Cassie, briefly noticing the tears that had dried on Kate's face. He briefly thought about how this affected her since her and Cassie were best friends, while The Vision had been tragically in love with Cassie. This was a little much for them at the moment though. Still, Tommy couldn't help it as he felt a couple of tears run down his chin as he saw that their fallen friend was truly back in flesh and blood.

"But how?" whispered Tommy. "Is it really her?"

Kate nodded her head a little as she guided Cassie to sit down on the chair. Her guidance was needed as Cassie looked like she could barely function at all and looked only extremely vulnerable in the white gown she wore. "I want to believe it," said Kate. "I don't know just how much of Cassie is in there though. She hasn't said a single word. I can't even begin to think how she came back here."

"Magic?" asked Tommy. "Or something else."

The Vision was silent as he knelt down before Cassie. The look on the Synthazoid's face was heart wrenching as he reached out to touch Cassie's cool hand. He could sense that she was in fact human, but there was so much that wasn't right as he noticed how little of a reaction she had to him. He wondered just how much of the real Cassie Lang was in there, or if it even was truly her or some type of horrible trick.

Kate and Tommy started to approach Cassie as she sat when the sharp pain returned in all of their heads with a vengeance. Once more, the magic in the building bubbled over as above them, Billy's magic reacted to shatter what was left of The Organization's spell. Teddy could be heard screaming above them, which caught all of their attention with the exception of Cassie who could only laugh.

"Ma…gic," croaked Cassie as she looked up towards the blue light escaping Teddy's bedroom.

"What the hell?" Tommy said as he prepared to run up there.

Only Tommy didn't have to move an inch. The door flew open with a virtually naked Teddy running out of there with half of his Hulkling uniform on. The alien teen jumped down from the second floor where he landed in the living room.

Teddy was zipping up his vest when he noticed the others staring at him. That was when he saw her too, his heart skipped a beat as he whispered Cassie's name softly. Despite what had just happened to him, Teddy wasn't sure what to do at the moment as he was mesmerized by the fact that Cassie was there. He tried to get answers from them, but they all looked just as lost as he was.

That initial shock had already faded from Tommy and Kate, while The Vision was still caught up in it.

Shaking his head to rid himself of that, Teddy turned towards his friends since he needed their help. "We're in trouble," said Teddy. "Billy's in danger right now. He's gone off to fight Aqua on his own."

"Why would he do that?" said Kate. "He knows how dangerous fighting The Organization is."

Flinching, Teddy knew that they weren't just going to blindly enter a battle with him. The look in Tommy's eyes proved just that as the alien became aware that he was going to have to provide a lot more detail then he was comfortable with.

However, if he was gonna get their help then he would have to tell them.

"I was under a spell," said Teddy. "Aqua made me believe he was Billy. He seduced me just when Billy—"

"I remember!" Tommy said, cutting Teddy off. "I remember now. I saw two of Billy. One had gone into you room while you were in the shower and the other came in just before Kate and Cassie. Then…that headache, it was the spell breaking."

The Vision tore his attention away from Cassie long enough to see the magical burn that lingered against Teddy's flesh from the cage he had been trapped in. "My mind was clouded too," said The Vision. "The Organization's magic…it is far more powerful then we anticipated. If they were able to trick us into believing that one of them was Billy and we've seen what they've done to Mulan, I fear what else they are capable of."

"Billy's in a lot of trouble," said Kate. "The Organization's already made it clear that they want Billy dead, but we can't leave Cassie alone."

"I'm going to save Billy," Teddy said, firmly. "I owe him." He closed his eyes as he thought back to the hurt on Billy's face when he caught him in bed with Jared. He could feel his own disgust mixed with the agony that Billy must've felt. Clenching his fists, Teddy knew that he had to do something. "I…I was tricked into cheating on him…I can't live with myself."

Tommy could felt sympathy for Teddy in more than one way. He knew that Teddy couldn't be held guilty if not even he could've seen through that spell. His existence was so closely tied to Billy that he should've been the first one to tell that there was something wrong, but he failed too.

Speeding up into his bedroom, Tommy came back downstairs before anyone could miss him. This time though, he was dressed in his Speed uniform as he shared a look with Teddy.

"We're gonna go save Billy then," Tommy said to Teddy. "Go green, buddy. You and I have to go save Harry Potter, again."

Teddy thanked Tommy for the help as he shapeshifted. He grew in stature and his flesh turned green with hardened scales.

Hulkling and Speed told Kate to suit up as well then to gather the other Young Avengers to help. They were all certain that The Organization would strike now that Billy was completely vulnerable. It would only be matter of time before Billy ended up facing the full might of The Organization on his own. Kate agreed to do just that as the boys ran out of there, she turned to The Vision and was well aware that he would not be leaving Cassie's side. She didn't blame him and was in fact comforted by this since she was certain that he might be able to save her.

Kate did all that she could do as she hurried to change into her Hawkeye uniform, she called the Young Avengers to assemble.

* * *

Magical bolts of energy shot throughout the lower plaza as Wiccan unleashed his magic from on top of the Prometheus statue. The raw anger that came from the teen was enough to tare the entire Rockefeller Center apart if he so desired it. Luckily, Wiccan proved to be somewhat successful in containing himself as he focused all his energy on killing Aqua.

In a display of amazing acrobatic skill, Aqua was able to avoid every blast that Wiccan had hurled his way. The water-bender did so by using the water to propel him in various directions to avoid Wiccan's spells before suspending himself higher up into the air. Aqua's entire body rotated in the air as he brought forth jets of water from the ground to wrap around himself.

Coming down like a cannon ball, it seemed clear that Aqua intended to hit Wiccan with all of his might. However, Aqua knew that he merely needed to provide the danger necessary to provoke Wiccan to go further with all of this. Aqua would much rather die by Wiccan's hands opposed to Supernova getting his hands on him.

Wiccan conjured more magic to surround himself in a protective barrier. He kept his magic strong as Aqua finally collided against him. The water erupted against the magic, causing the magic to spread throughout the lower plaza with mystical sparkles glistening against it in the process. Wiccan glared as he saw Aqua coming after him with a sword made from ice.

Springing off of Prometheus, Wiccan avoided having his head cut off by Aqua's sword.

The spectators were utterly terrified as they witnessed the battle. They saw how Wiccan conjured massive bolts of lightning after Aqua to electrify the water bender to death. It didn't happen though as Aqua bent the water to his will to create a wall around himself that he turned into a wall of ice. With his guard stronger, Aqua was able to withstand Wiccan's lightning blasts, much to the surprise of all the witnesses.

Aqua then surprised Wiccan more by twisting the broken ice around. He gathered more water together before unlashing streams of water after Wiccan which hardened into spears of ice. The sharpen javelins would've surely done some damage to Wiccan had the mage allowed it to happen.

Instead, Wiccan met ice with fire this time. Wiccan raised his arms up into the air to conjure jets of fire from the ground that melted all of the incoming ice. Aqua's attack was neutralized, leaving Wiccan with an opening that he so desperately wanted to take.

Aqua felt it coming now. He knew that Wiccan was primed enough to do what needed to be done so he prepared himself to embrace death.

Only he wouldn't go down without a fight. His survival instincts kicked in as he reconstituted the water to capture Wiccan in an icy grip that kept Wiccan from going any further. The mage nearly popped his ankle out of place when he tried to catch up to the water-bender.

Aqua smirked as he jumped forward to hit Wiccan only to be met with resistance. Wiccan hadn't broken free from the icy grip yet but he was able to create magical wall in front of him to hit Aqua with. The water-bender landed on his ass from the rough impact, giving Wiccan enough time to melt the ice with his magic.

This surprised Aqua with Wiccan coming forward at him. The mage lifted Aqua up with magic before striking him in the chest, nearly knocking Aqua out in the process. The mage's anger was truly bubbling over as he started to summon more magical bolts from his hands to strike the jerk with.

Knowing that this was the end of it, Aqua was certain that Wiccan would finish him with this last attack. Closing his eyes, Aqua waited to feel Wiccan's wrathful magic against his flesh. It would be a wonderful feeling as it would mean the end to his life. This would bring the end of the pain that he's suffered through and to prevent Supernova from getting his hands on him.

Only death didn't come.

Aqua opened his eyes to see that the ground had risen up against Wiccan, preventing the mage from getting any closer to him. The wind started to howl as well, creating a shield on top of the earthy prison to make certain that Wiccan would have a harder time to intervene.

Tensing up now, Aqua knew that it was too late. Depression struck a chord in his heart as felt them behind him. A firm hand snatched him by the wrist, yanking him back a few feet until his back met a warm body. Soon another hand was on him, this time it was on his throat to keep him from moving any inch.

Wishing that he could relax but knew that to be impossible, Aqua waited to feel his neck being snapped. However, Terra was not about to let him off that easily, at least not while under the command of Supernova. "Why, Aqua?" whispered Terra into his lover's ear. "Why did you betray us? After all that The Organization has done for you, why have you turned your back on us?"

The grip on his throat was eased as Terra generally sought an answer. Aqua knew that he owed him that much and that his life might depend on it. "Because Supernova isn't who he said he was," said Aqua. "I refuse to help a soulless man in his endeavors to bring the Devil into this world. My soul is not worth that bit of damnation."

"You cannot be serious?" said Ventus.

"The Source is pure evil," said Aqua. "I've seen Nova's files. I know what he plans better than anybody else. That is why I chose to sabotage him and face death at the hands of the mage. It is better this way."

And as his final words were spoken, Wiccan broke free from Terra and Ventus's prison. The barriers that had been put up around him shattered as Wiccan's magic won out in the end.

Feeling the power in the air, Terra and Ventus shuffled back as Aqua took the opportunity to break free from them. Aqua took a few steps forward to meet Wiccan in the middle as the witch continued to look at him with those hateful eyes.

Bolts of magical energy started to flicker in Wiccan's hands. The teen kept eye contact with the water bender before briefly glancing over to Terra and Ventus. He had heard what Aqua had to say earlier and as logical as it was to capture Aqua, he couldn't do that. Wiccan wanted to make Aqua hurt for the pain that he inflicted against him.

So Wiccan broke his code of ethics as he smashed a magically, enchanted fist against Aqua's face. This sent the water bender flying halfway across the plaza.

Terra and Ventus reacted against Wiccan, not under the objective of The Organization but out of feelings for Aqua. Despite their orders to kill Aqua, their own apprehension to do so led to them to lash out against the mage.

Ventus gathered a gust of wind that she had chase after Wiccan only to be blocked when an angry Wiccan erected a shield around himself. The mage countered with a spell, hurling a blast of mystical energy after her which completely caught Ventus by surprise. She was thrown back against a nearby wall, collapsing to the ground beside Aqua.

Furious at what Wiccan did to his sister and to his lover, this led to Terra to spring into action only to be met with resistance when a body swooped in to run interference.

It turned out to be Speed too. The speedster had run as fast as he could to back his brother up only to catch him getting into it with the Elemental Trio. Speed took Terra down with a rapid blow against the chest that knocked the breath out of the earth bender.

Speed moved back to his brother's side just as Hulkling and Avatar came as well.

Wiccan didn't even bother to look Hulkling in the eyes as he thanked Speed for his help. The mage kept his distance from Hulkling even when Hulkling tried to apologize to him for what had happened earlier. No matter what though, Wiccan refused to budge for him while keeping his focus on the Elemental Trio.

Quickly enough, Ventus brought Terra and Aqua back on their feet as they knew just what this would lead to. They were outnumbered but their skills were beyond that of what the Young Avengers had to offer so they weren't afraid.

The next round was about to begin in this battle.

* * *

It was a lot to take in. The Young Avengers headquarters was empty save for The Vision and Cassie. There still wasn't much life in it though as The Vision attempted to bring Cassie's mind out from the darkness that had blanketed it for so long. However, Cassie's darkness ran deep, deeper than anybody could possibly imagine.

But if there was anyone who could help her then it was The Vision. He was, after all, the one who had the closest ties to her.

The Vision reached out to touch Cassie's hand as they both sat together on the sofa. Cassie would almost flinch when his hand attempted to touch her. It wasn't clear if this was voluntary or involuntary. The Vision couldn't tell if she purposely avoided his touch or if her mind was so badly scarred that she didn't know whom to trust.

Feeling a tightening in his robotic chest, The Vision had a strong feeling that The Organization was somehow tangled with Cassie's resurrection. One of his last memories of his old life knew for a fact that Cassie had died by Doctor Doom's hands. There was no doubt about that yet here she was alive and almost all put together. She looked like Cassie and when she spoke she did sound like her, but it was like Cassie was missing her soul.

Or it was just so badly hurt that it was hiding from sight.

The Vision wished he knew more about magic because he knew that it was involved. To bring somebody back to the dead was a complicated process and it should've been impossible. However, two extreme cases always led to numerous loopholes. A violent death and a death from mystical causes were the two extremes that led to some hope, both of which Cassie was a victim of. Doctor Doom used the LifeForce's power and his own magic to kill Cassie, so Iron Lad was right in saying that there was hope to save Cassie only using the Timestream was the worst possible thing to do.

But what if Iron Lad…Nathanial was able to alter time despite their protests to bring her back to life? Could that answer really be that obvious?

Uncertain of what to say, The Vision decided it wasn't the best question to ask. What was his concern for the moment was trying to bring Cassie out of the darkness and into the light.

So once more, The Vision tried to reach out to his former love by touching her hand to claim her attention. When Cassie finally looked at him, he could almost see that girl that he had fallen in love with before which felt like ages ago. "Can you hear me, Cassie?" he asked. "Do you know who I am?" How he hoped that she could remember him. It would be a miracle if they could bring the old Cassie back and break through whatever darkness that was holding back.

But that all depended on if this really was the real Cassie Lang.

The girl that was sitting before The Vision had tensed up at first by his questions. She really wanted to answer him, but there was so much darkness in her head that the light still couldn't break through. It upset her too because she could recognize his face. That face was in her memories only her memories were locked away from her.

If only there was something to use as a trigger. If only she could just piece together a powerful memory then the rest of them would surely be able to piece themselves back together.

"Can't…" whispered Cassie. "I…I can't."

Guilt was killing The Vision as he looked at Cassie whom didn't look back at him. He knew the only chance at really making serious progress was to provoke some of her memories regardless of the affects that might occur for such a serious memory rush.

The Vision knew that there was no other choice though. He used his abilities to see if he could reach out to the old Cassie by changing his appearance to that of Jonas. Looking similar to Nathaniel Richards now from the light-skin tone to the short, spiky hair and the dark eyes, The Vision was sure that he could get Cassie to remember him.

"Do you remember me now, Cassie?" asked The Vision.

Looking at him again, a light gasp escaped from Cassie's mouth. She looked at him closely and felt something trying to fight its way through. It was part of her mind, the part that knew who this stranger was.

Frustration started to grip Cassie as she grabbed her head. She wanted to remember him, she wanted to remember him so bad but she couldn't. There had to be more. There had to be something that she could do to make herself remember who she was.

And then something dawned on her. A story started to play itself out in her head, giving her a suggestion in what she should do.

The Vision seemed to give up at trying to reach out to her, but Cassie wasn't through with his help though. Catching him completely by surprise, Cassie grabbed onto The Vision's face and brought her lips to his. For the first time in an eternity, the two kissed, bringing back a heated spark to both of their hearts.

When it finally ended, The Vision was speechless while Cassie found relief. The relief came to an end though as her entire body began to tense up as she flinched uncontrollably. Countless memories all began to rush into her mind as the darkness finally evaporated and she could finally see herself for who she really was.

The last memory involved the fight with Doctor Doom. She saw how desperate her friends were, she saw that Wiccan and Scarlet Witch didn't have enough time to cast their spell, and then she saw Doctor Doom crush her father with his hands. The unspeakable rage that boiled over inside her against the wicked doctor, she loved her father so much and he had been taken away from her yet again. She turned all that anger against Doctor Doom only to be brought down by an intense heat with it all ending after that.

A tear started to roll down her face as she turned to look at The Vision. She noticed the worry on his face as he wasn't sure just what this meant only to get the idea when Cassie threw herself at him, hugging him with all her might.

"Cassie," The Vision whispered.

"Jonas," cried Cassie as relief finally swept over her.

The Vision didn't know what else to say as he could only hug Cassie back.

* * *

The Elemental Trio stood still as Wiccan, Hulkling, Speed, and Avatar looked that they were about ready to strike. It was a clear disadvantage when the numbers game was played, but the trio wasn't afraid as they were far more powerful.

Only Aqua was worried as he didn't like Terra and Ventus being here. He knew that Supernova sent them here to be his executioners, which made the situation all the more painful for him. He just wished that things could've just stayed between him and Wiccan; it would've made things so much easier for him.

And things were only about to get even more crowded. The Elemental Trio found more bodies coming their way as Hawkeye brought Turquoise Boy, Patriot, and Lady Falcon with her. Now why The Vision wasn't present was a mystery to them, not even Aqua could've foreseen that it was Cassie Lang that kept The Vision out of the way.

This still was about to end bad for the trio though as they were really outgunned here. Even Terra and Ventus were getting a little nervous since their simple mission of removing Aqua was about to get very complicated. With nearly all the Young Avengers present, it meant that they were about to face some serious complications that they hadn't expected to deal with.

Bolts of energy cracked down from the sky though to intervene with the assembled Young Avengers. The heroes stepped back as it became clear who was showing up as well.

Supernova emerged from the smoke with Deception and Volt standing beside him. They met with the Elemental Trio, Terra and Ventus surrounded Aqua though to show Supernova their dedication to the assignment he had given him.

A slight smirk grew on Supernova's face as he now turned towards the Young Avengers. "I see our plan failed to alienate you from your friends, Wiccan," said Supernova. "That is horribly disappointing, but I suppose I can deal with that later." The villain looked over towards Avatar to see how firmly she stood beside her new friends. She looked ready to pounce, which only caused him to laugh. "Now, Mulan, I see you've gone and joined the enemy. After all the kindness that I have given you over the years, this is how you repay me?"

Avatar wanted nothing more than to beat Supernova to a pulp, but she kept back for the moment.

Wiccan wanted to know exactly what Supernova meant about him but he was only met with silence when he tried to get the villain to talk. It was frustrating so Wiccan could only assume that what Aqua did to him was a greater plot created by the entire Organization. His pain only grew as he wanted nothing more than to really bring them down.

Supernova ignored the Young Avengers for the moment though as he turned his sights on Aqua and the rest of the Elemental Trio. He saw the look of hate in Aqua's eyes as he tried to keep his distance from the superior. It was laughable to Supernova which he showed clearly on his face to young man.

"Traitors are always sentence to death," said Supernova. "The darkest depths of Hell are reserved for those who break their oaths."

Refusing that damnation, Aqua stood forward as a burst of courage came forth. "You are the one who Hell wants, Nova!" spat Aqua. "I know who The Source is. I know that you've manipulated all of us, grooming us to become your Organization. And I refuse to be your plaything in this vendetta you have at eradicating all of existence!"

Those words seemed to alarm the rest of The Organization and the Young Avengers as they tried to piece together what Aqua meant. Supernova could only laugh at how well Aqua claimed to understand how thing worked now.

"Foolish boy," laughed Supernova. "It matters not what you think. All that matters is that you're existence is going to end. You shall be killed by those you cared for most." Grinning, Supernova turned his attention to Terra and Ventus, urging them to fulfill their duties to The Organization.

Aqua looked to see what was about to happen to him. Terra and Ventus showed no signs of moving though until Ventus finally made a move.

Even the Young Avengers seemed worried by this. How could The Organization be so willing to exterminate one of their own, even if Wiccan was kind of thrilled that Aqua was going to die but not like this though.

Ventus gathered a ball of wind in hand despite signs of Terra showing protests to the execution of his lover. However, Ventus didn't use her powers against Aqua. In an action that surprised all parties present, she hurled the wind after Supernova instead to knock the superior off of his feet.

Terra couldn't help but to grin as he jumped to defend Ventus just as Volt and Deception hurled blasts of energy at her. He used his earthly powers to cause the ground to rise up to protect the three of them from harm.

"No more!" Ventus shouted to the fallen Supernova. "We will no longer serve you."

"Consider this as our letter of resignation," said Terra.

Aqua felt an extreme amount of relief as he joined Terra and Ventus's side. He kept to the middle as Terra brought the earth back down to see that Supernova was getting back on his feet.

The Young Avengers were astonished by what they had just seen. The Organization had already made it clear that they were going after Wiccan specifically, but now they were crumbling before them. The Elemental Trio showed their unwillingness to work for Supernova and their big boss, The Source.

But just what was it that Supernova was doing for The Source? And just who was The Source exactly?

It seemed like things were going to really boil over as Supernova turned his anger against the Elemental Trio and the Young Avengers. All of his enemies were there now so he might as well unleash the power that The Source had bestowed upon him.

Deception and Volt felt the insanity brewing from Supernova in light of all of this. They stepped further back, realizing that this place nor this battle was for them. Volt turned to Deception who bore a similar worried expression since their survival was on the line here. Despite the attachment that they had felt before, it was no longer there so they both escaped before Supernova could lose it.

And did he lose it.

Supernova boiled over with raw darkness before it burst forth from him and rained down onto the ground. The Young Avengers and Elemental Trio stood back just as creatures began to spawn from the ground. There were dozens of them too, all nearly formless too. They were red creatures that bore an almost-liquid form that was humanoid in appearance. Their faces were the only thing clear which seemed almost demonic at first glance.

For the moment, Wiccan forgot all of his anger as he backed up against Hulkling. These creatures were horrific, something that belonged in a person's worst nightmares.

"Behold the Daemons!" shouted Supernova. "These demons are under my command. Now is the hour that you shall all face Death." Supernova ascended to the sky with darkness covering his body as he came back down. He showed himself to be stronger then before now that The Organization that he had worked so hard to form began to crumble around him. "The Source's will shall be fulfilled! Death to the enemies of The Source!"

With those words said, the Daemons spread out to lash out against the Young Avengers and the Elemental Trio.

* * *

There was madness running all around Rockefeller Center as Supernova's Daemons began to overrun the place. The Young Avengers and the Elemental Trio fighting valiantly, but Supernova was not about to make it easy on those whom he declared his most hated foes.

The near formless Daemons were truly a force to be reckoned with. Their powers exceeded that of any ordinary creature that any of them had ever gone up against in the past. It would be something to remember if they found a way to actually defeat the Daemons.

Hawkeye, Lady Falcon, and Turquoise Boy attempted to take down the Daemons with their weapons. Explosive arrows and feathers would streak across the plaza to explode when they came in contact with the Daemon only to prove to be ineffective. Bullets and electrical shocks proved to be hardly any better when Turquoise Boy moved in close to strike a Daemon. The result led him with a nasty bruise on his arm while Hawkeye and Lady Falcon were quickly getting swarmed.

Hulkling tried to interfere as he used his superior strength to push the Daemons aside. This only got himself so far since muscle alone wasn't enough to lie a real hurting against the Daemons. He tried hard though, punching everything that got in his way in hopes of at least being able to knock out one of the creatures.

Terra and Ventus were equally lost as they stood near each other, surrounded by a dozen Daemons a piece. The spawns of darkness were quickly drawing closer, which meant that something needed to be done quickly to turn the tide. Ventus would hurl a whirlwind after the Daemons to disorient them along enough for Terra to break the ground apart in attempt to bury the creatures alive.

This appeared to work at first, but it only came crashing down when the Daemons burst out through the newly formed cracks.

Wiccan had better luck in all of this as he floated a few inches in the air to hurl magical pearls of light from his hands to hit nearby Daemons. This actually proved to work as the Daemons shirked in pain once Wiccan's magic came into contact with them. Their pain brought some hope to Wiccan as he landed on the ground and ran towards a crowd of them. Lifting a hand in the air, Wiccan would hurl a blast of lightning after the Daemons which succeeded in taking them down.

With his back turned though, Wiccan didn't see a Daemon come up from behind him. When he did feel something, it would be too late for him to cast a spell or use his projection power. The Daemon was about to sink its fangs, literally, into Wiccan only to be stopped when a spear of ice penetrated its chest. The Daemon's pause gave Wiccan the opportunity to strike by blasting the Daemon with a bolt of fire only to see that Aqua was standing behind the Daemon with a second spear in hand. Aqua quickly ran off before Wiccan could do anything to throw a spear at a nearby Daemon.

As for Speed, he lived up to the name as he raced across the plaza to do some damage. Oddly enough, when Speed used his molecular acceleration talents, he proved successful in taking down Daemon after Daemon. The Daemons would easily explode, bursting into a series of flames that would gradually subside after a moment. This came as a surprise to Speed since he figured that his ability wouldn't be effective against the creatures only to be proven wrong.

Meanwhile, Avatar went in for the kill as she went up against Supernova on her own. With vengeance in her eyes, she flew through the air to fight through the Daemons that stood in her way so that she could claim her prize.

Supernova would be busy summoning more Daemons so he wouldn't be fully aware of just how close she was till it was too late. A fist landed against Supernova's frontal lobe before he even knew it. The wicked superior of The Organization was thrown to his back just as Avatar landed beside him.

Her fist attempted to smash him in the face again only not to prove as effective as the first time. This time, Supernova was prepared and was able to protect himself from Avatar's attack. He pushed her back with force of will before climbing back to his feet to strike with a chain of energy that surpassed Avatar's energy absorption abilities.

Avatar crashed to the ground while the rest of the Young Avengers and the Elemental Trio were hardly fairing any better. It truly looked like this would be the end of them, listening to Supernova's sickening laughter was enough to make it fell so.

"The mighty have fallen!" said Supernova. "My Daemons shall feast on all enemies of The Source and the traitors, so let it be. Even you, my darling Avatar, will be amongst the meal that shall sedate my Master's Daemons."

The Daemons were gathering around her as she tried to get up to fight them off. Their numbers proved though that she wouldn't survive despite the hurting that Wiccan and Speed were laying on them.

But just as things truly appeared to be the end of them, a burst of magical energy formed above their heads. Chains of light began to spread throughout the plaza to strike every one of the Daemons in a net of mystical energy. This sight came as a welcome relief even more so when the magic proved to be powerful enough to destroy the Daemons, causing them to explode in a vortex of flame.

As Supernova roared in anger, the light above them took solid form as Doctor Strange appeared before them all. The former Sorcerer Supreme came floating down beside Avatar just as the rest of the Young Avengers began to gather in his arrival. Meanwhile, the Elemental Trio kept their distance as they appeared ready to flee.

Doctor Strange pushed the sleeve of his cloak up as he prepared to unleash another chain of spells against Supernova. "I sensed the mystical disturbance from the Sanctum Sanctorum," said the sorcerer. "This man is the source of all of it. He is the leader of The Organization, am I correct?"

"Yeah," said Avatar.

"Then let him face my magic!" shouted Doctor Strange as he began to conjure.

A glowing force of mystical energy took form in the doctor's hand. The sorcerer gathered all the energy that he could to subdue Supernova and prepared to release it. Once he felt the power sufficient enough, Doctor Strange hurled a blast of energy from his hand which raced across the road to strike Supernova in the chest.

A colossal explosion came forth from the impact, illuminating half of the city in the process. The sorcerer shielded them from the heat of the light until it subsided to reveal a still standing Supernova.

"Your magic is far weaker than that of my Master," groaned Supernova. "Death shall befall you, Doctor Strange, once I have my revenge."

With those fatal words spoken, Supernova took his leave before Doctor Strange or anyone else could do anything about it. The Organization's superior was gone in an instant, ending the battle in their favor.

Meanwhile, the Elemental Trio prepared to make their flee. Terra and Ventus were ready to leave when they saw that Aqua wasn't budging an inch though.

"Let's leave now," Terra said to Aqua. "There is nothing here for us anymore. The Organization is no more."

"I know," said Aqua, "but I still have a job to do. I'm going to surrender myself to their custody."

Ventus and Terra were shocked to hear this, but Aqua would hear no complaint from them. As the Young Avengers were still distracted by their "victory", Aqua urged the two of them to leave as he prepared to offer himself up.

Terra refused though as he ran forward to grab Aqua to attempt to shake some sense into him. "They will hardly treat you any better than Nova would," Terra told him. "I can keep you save, Jared. I will protect you."

Closing his eyes as a smile formed, Aqua felt blessed to know that Terra cared so much for him. He stood on the tips of his toes to give Terra a kiss before breaking free from his hold. "But I'm not the one who needs protecting, you do," said Aqua. "I have to tell warn them about Nova and The Source and why they want the mage dead." He briefly brushed his hand against Terra's heart to say goodbye for the last time as he took some steps away from them. "Vanessa, get yourself and Joseph out of here. You don't have to go down with me."

Terra wanted to stop this, but Ventus got in the way as she grabbed her brother's arm and had the wind take them away. Ventus wished Aqua good luck as she followed his command, while Terra cried as he tried to reach out to Aqua one last time.

With them gone, Aqua knew that this was his chance to do something good with his life for a change. He proudly made his way over towards the Young Avengers and Doctor Strange until he finally had their attention. They were ready to fight them; Aqua caught them all by surprise as he held his arms up in the air.

"I surrender," Aqua said, firmly.

* * *

Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, the Young Avengers were brought their following the end of the battle against Supernova and his Daemons. It was fortunate that Doctor Strange came to their rescue just as the Daemons truly began to overwhelm the young heroes. And now, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, they prepared to deal with the next step for their team.

Currently on the opposite end of the helicarrier, Landon was about to begin the interrogation process on the willing captive Aqua. To make certain that Aqua would try any tricks; Doctor Strange was with Landon to use his magical talents if necessary. Despite Aqua surrendering himself, the Young Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. were unwilling to trust the young man without any doubt.

That much was the same as Billy purposely kept away from Teddy as the Young Avengers were taken to one of the lounges inside the helicarrier. An agent had escorted them here and made certain that a live feed of the interrogation was being broadcast by Landon's orders and the Director's clearance. It only seemed fair that the Young Avengers benefited from the information that they were about to gather after everything that The Organization had put them through.

It was the one bright side to this mess.

But that wasn't all that was happening. The doors to the lounge were swung open with The Vision and Cassie stepping inside. The Young Avengers noticed them with a surprised look forming on Eli's face after seeing for himself that Cassie was in fact alive. Billy also felt a tightening in his chest as he looked over to his old friend, noticing that Cassie was smiling back at all of them.

The Vision revealed that he was able to help Cassie reclaim her lost memories, bringing her out from the dark. Hearing this and knowing that The Organization's immediate threat was gone brought a serious of joyful cries from everyone.

Kate threw herself at Cassie, wrapping her arms around her friend's frail body. "I'm so glad that you're back," cried Kate.

"Me too, Katie," said Cassie as she hugged her back. "I'm so happy to be back with all of you."

The Young Avengers were all smiling when they heard the feed turning on. The happiness that came from Cassie's return was interrupted as the interrogation was about to begin.

* * *

Jared's wrists were bound and his powers were weak as Doctor Strange hit him with a spell to temporarily bind his mutant abilities. It felt almost humiliating to be in such a state, but Jared reminded himself that he was a willing prisoner. S.H.I.E.L.D. was so pleased by his cooperation that he wasn't even wearing a prisoner jumpsuit that would've just looked awful on him.

He didn't have long to think about his predicament as the doors opened up to reveal Landon and Doctor Strange. The two men came inside, taking their seats from across the mutant. Doctor Strange's spell felt stronger now that the sorcerer was in the same room as Jared, which the mutant believed to be true as he tried to sit comfortably in the steel chair that they had him bound too.

The noise of the chair legs screeching against the floor annoyed Jared, but he remained silent as Landon looked at Jared closely. The agent was fully dressed in the uniform of the agency he worked for, making him look all the more impressive.

"Somebody is trying to look like a Junior Nick Fury," laughed Jared. "Or are you trying to be more like your mentor, the Black Widow?"

Landon ignored the negativity behind Jared's comments. He knew that the prisoner wouldn't be totally passive despite his willingness in being arrested. Anticipating this, he knew exactly what he might need to do to subdue the prisoner. "I am my father's son," Landon said, simply. "Now, Jared Salvatore of Greensburg, Michigan, we really need to have a nice chat. You see, S.H.I.E.L.D. has access to your files. We know that you were a straight A-student in school until your parents disowned you after you developed your mutation, which led you to live on the streets for a few years where you worked as a prostitute and lived with numerous crooks. Am I missing anything?"

Wanting nothing more than to hit Landon at the moment, Jared kept calm especially with Doctor Strange sitting right there. The good doctor was almost radiating with the same magic that he used to vaporize Supernova's Daemons to it wouldn't be good to provoke any unnecessary violence.

"You forgot the part where they threw me out for being gay," Jared said to Landon. "They were cooler with the Mutant thing then they were with the whole sucking dick thing."

Skin heating up that was enough to knock Landon off his guard with even Doctor Strange appearing a little embarrassed.

Feeling that he had the edge again, something that he liked a lot, Jared decided that he would talk and that they would listen to him. He did, after all, have a lot that he needed to get off his chest to hopefully absolve him of some of his sins.

"I know you're interested in The Organization so let's cut to the chase," said Jared. "We were all recruited by Supernova for our various abilities. Deception is a master of illusion, Volt can manipulate electrical currents, Terra's mutation allows him to control the earth, and Ventus's mutation allows her to control wind currents. My mutation allows me to manipulate water in all of its forms to the point where I can heal minor injuries and force a person under my will by manipulating the water inside their bodies. It's difficult to use though so I rarely use that ability plus those with a strong enough will can defy my commands."

"Good to know," said Landon. "Now what about Supernova? He doesn't seem like your ordinary supervillain or mutant."

"Because he's none of those things," said Jared, "and I can't answer that either. I have no idea what Supernova is or who he really is. I can tell you that he has immersed himself in some seriously demonic magic though to do what he did today and giving everyone in The Organization the ability to move through the shadows."

"Those Daemons," Doctor Strange said, interrupting Landon, "are a serious threat. I have never seen demons like them. They are a truly powerful and ancient lot."

Landon and Jared agreed with the former Sorcerer Supreme as Landon urged Jared to continue.

"What about Mulan?" asked Landon. "We know the horrors that Supernova put her and her family through. Why her?"

"Mulan was there before I was recruited so I can't tell you everything," confessed Jared. "I do know that Supernova wanted the perfect weapon. He experimented on her family because he trusted that one of them would be powerful enough to handle the genetic alteration. He was right, and Mulan is physically stronger for that. I do apologize though what Nova had done to her and her family though, it was an abomination of an experience that's why what little morals I had left couldn't allow that to happen to Cassie Lang as well."

Landon and Doctor Strange hadn't expect that one. Neither one had realized that it was The Organization that was involved in bringing Cassie back from the dead.

Knowing that they needed to know the truth, Landon pushed Jared to continue talking about Cassie.

"I haven't trusted Nova since he's ordered us to eliminate Billy Kaplan," said Jared. "I snooped around in his private chambers to learn about what it was that he was planning and who The Source. It was during this research that I discovered that he had Cassie Lang's body in his possession."

"The body that you buried was a fake. I hate to be the one to tell you this but Nathaniel Richards did in fact travel through the Timestream to save Cassie. He swapped her body with a convincing fake just moments before she died and came into contact with Supernova. He gave her to Supernova to save her, unaware that he was offering her up to a demon. In exchange, Nathaniel Richards surrendered his humanity in order to become the future Kang the Conqueror."

"Is there more?" Landon asked, feeling his hand shake underneath the table.

"Supernova planned on experimenting on her once he had her stabilized," said Jared. "I pulled the plug on that project though to let Cassie die in peace."

"Cassie isn't dead," said Doctor Strange. "She still lives and now she remembers everything that happened to her up to her death."

Jared looked surprised by this but that didn't last long as he pulled himself into being his usual calm self.

* * *

The Young Avengers watched the progress of this from the lounge. Cassie sat between Kate and The Vision on a sofa, shaking as she heard what Nathaniel had done to her. Even Mulan appeared to be disgusted despite never meeting Iron Lad, but to think that he would willing put her under the care of such a monster was revolting to her.

Eli's fist went through a wall as he clenched his eyes in frustration. Knowing that Nathaniel defied their wishes and sought out a way to bring Cassie back was a little too much. He loved Cassie though like a sister and was glad that she was back, but Nathaniel brought her back through dark means. If Supernova was as frightful as Jared made him seem and from what they've seen then made Eli feel anxious about the consequences.

After his stupidity caused Doctor Doom to become all-powerful and nearly killed Wanda which led to Cassie and The Vision's death, Eli has felt the weight of his actions baring down on him. He couldn't believe just how reckless Nathaniel had been in bringing Cassie back without even thinking about her feelings or what Supernova might have done to her if Jared hadn't intervened.

Feeling grateful for an enemy felt so wrong, but Eli couldn't help it.

All while Billy felt his guilt in his hand in the Crusade. Everything that happened was all because of his powers going out of control. He just couldn't believe how out of hand everything got as a result of him and that cycle was about to repeat himself, knowing damn well that The Organization wanted him out of the way for The Source.

Teddy noticed this and attempted to reach out to Billy only to have his hand shocked in the process. He tried once more, thinking that it was only in his head, only to get shocked again.

"Don't touch me," whispered Billy.

"Billy…" said Teddy.

Billy shook his head as he dropped the guilt to glare at Teddy. He was nowhere near willing to forgive Teddy just yet after catching a naked Teddy with Jared even if it was a spell that made Teddy do that. As much as he wanted to just move on, it didn't feel right considering the feelings he had surging against him.

So Teddy was brushed aside, hurt as he stepped away to join Samantha and Mulan. Tommy saw what his brother did and couldn't help but to sympathize with Teddy.

As much as it went against his character, Tommy knew that he was going to have to slap some sense into Billy soon.

* * *

As this went on, Landon's interrogation continued. After Jared revealed what happened with Cassie, a break was called for Landon to just process all of this. Doctor Strange could tell that Landon was out of his comfort zone with so much magic involved. Even though magic has been in the rise, S.H.I.E.L.D. could only do so much to prepare their agents for the mystical arts.

The break ended and Landon returned to the room with Doctor Strange following him. Jared looked up to them, still handcuffed to the chair as they sat comfortably.

"I need to know why you pretended to be Billy," said Landon. "And I need to know about why you defected from The Organization. What is The Source?"

Jared couldn't help but to smirk since he was about to get to the fun part, although, it was also the scary bit. At least he could comfortably say he knew more than Doctor Strange did by knowing who The Source was.

So Jared had to explain from the beginning.

"Billy Kaplan is connected to The Source in a dangerous way. Supernova told us that Billy must die due to him wielding a power that could harm The Source," said Jared. "We were told that The Source would reward us for his loyalty after he took over the world and established us as amongst the ruling elite. Only that was a lie, I pretended to be Billy in order to break him from those he lied so that he would be vulnerable enough to kill but I learned the truth about Supernova along the way. I learned that The Organization was created to bring The Source into the world who is the Devil of all Devils."

Doctor Strange and Landon appeared lost which prompted Jared to continue.

"The Source is something older than the Guardians, then any of the primordial entities in the multi-verse," said Jared. "What Supernova seeks to resurrect is The Source of Chaos, he is The Source of All Evil. The Source is the living embodiment of Chaos, an entity that came before the Big Bang with more power than anything else in this universe."

"Except for one thing," interrupted Doctor Strange. Looking at the water-bender, the sorcerer could remember a prophecy he uncovered long ago. It was vague and he hadn't understand the meaning but now it was starting to slowly come together. "Billy Kaplan, he's the Child, isn't he?"

"Bill Kaplan is the Child of Creation," said Jared, "at least according to Supernova. There is a prophecy that states that The Source will return to the multi-verse, breaking free from the chains that bound him for millions of years. The Source's power of chaos would surely destroy the world, but the prophecy foretells that of a boy who could fight The Source. It claims that a child will be born with the gift of magic, conceived by a nexus of magic, and carrying a fragment of Creation within his soul and that child is Billy Kaplan."

Landon turned to Doctor Strange, asking how that was possible.

"Wanda brought Billy and Tommy to life through her Chaos magic," said Doctor Strange. "She is also a nexus creature of pure magic. But her sons died and Wanda stole the powers of the LifeForce, Creation, to reincarnate her sons."

"The LifeForce touched Billy and Tommy," continued Jared. "The LifeForce changed them, effectively making them what they are. Billy's magic is tied to the LifeForce, making him a Creation Mage and the child that the prophecy claims will defeat The Source in battle. And the Phoenix Force splitting into fragments is the first sign that the prophecy is coming true. The Source's return is nearly upon us."

Landon's jaw was dropped as he found himself unable to say another word. His mind was completely at a loss, while Doctor Strange only frowned as he held his head down. The sorcerer feared what Billy's connection to The Source, but he never imagined something like this.

Being the Child of Creation was a death sentence for the prophecy kept it a mystery on if the child would live or die during the battle against The Source. And since The Source was the living embodiment of Chaos, Doctor Strange couldn't see how Billy could survive this inevitable battle.

* * *

The lounge was silent as all eyes suddenly fell upon Billy. The truth was finally out there and if what Jared said was true then things were about to get very bad for them all. Billy's connection to The Source ran deeper than any of them could've imagined, making them all fear utterly terrified for him as they saw that the interrogation was over.

Teddy could see that better than anyone else that Billy was shaking everywhere. Knowing exactly who he was and what his destiny needed of him, Billy was on the verge of a panic attack as he stood there before his friends. Not wanting Billy to break on them, Teddy would attempt to reach out to his boyfriend during this time of need.

Only to be denied of him once more.

"Don't touch me!" cried Billy as he jumped away from Teddy. "Just don't…just leave me alone!" The brutal words were a mixture of fear and anger about everything that was going on with him at the moment. It was the fear of having to face the primordial evil and the anger at what happened with Teddy. He couldn't deal with it anymore right now, which is why Teddy really wanted to appeal to Billy who was on the verge of breaking like glass.

Billy wanted none of it though as he pushed Teddy away from him, running out of the room before anybody could stop him.

With their friend lost, the Young Avengers were lost in silence. Teddy smashed his fist against a table with his eyes clenched before he would take off as well. He needed a moment to get away just as badly as Billy did.

Tommy saw all of this, watching closer than anyone else did. He turned away for a moment to process everything before taking a deep breath and understanding that it was up to him to save the day in more ways than one. Once he was finished with them, Tommy was going to demand that they appreciate what he was about to do for them.

The speedster left the lounge as well to at least repair some of the brokenness amongst them.

Seeing that Billy, Tommy, and Teddy were gone now, Mulan felt unwilling to allow this silence to continue for a moment longer. She had joined the Young Avengers to redeem herself and to gain retribution for the death of her family. She refused to allow this pity party to continue any longer as she turned her attention to the rest of the team.

"Okay, so we know what we're up against now," said Mulan. "What's the big deal? You think the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, or the X-Men moped around when things got bad?" The Vision was the only one who looked like he might answer, but she cut him off. Her question was rhetorical, not literal. "No! They came together to create a plan to overcome their obstacles and came out stronger for it."

"Even after what they did to you?" asked Kate. "The Organization has broken up and Supernova is no doubt in hiding."

"That won't last long, "said Mulan. "Nova is only bidding his time to make a comeback. And when he shows up again, it means that he's bringing The Source with him. We have to be ready for Nova when he finally makes his move because I know him well enough that he'll want an audience to watch the main event."

Her warning didn't go ignored, but it didn't seem to have quite the punch she was hoping for. They were all still sitting there, scattered and lost for their own reasons as they realized just how much damage The Organization had done to them as well. The Young Avengers felt almost powerless now that they knew how well The Organization operated and had been willing to go to break them apart.

Even in defeat, The Organization found a way to win.

But that victory wouldn't last, it was Cassie who would steal that thunder away from them. She clenched her fists together as she jumped to her feet in a bold move that surprised everyone in the room. "Supernova wanted to use me as a weapon against you guys," said Cassie. "He knew that you wouldn't be able to hurt me because of how close we are, but if he did manage to get to me then you're gonna have to kill me."

"You can't be serious!" said The Vision. "I won't allow that."

"You might not have a choice," said Cassie. "If it comes down to it, I don't want to be used to hurt any of you. I'd rather be dead again."

"Before we go that far," said Samantha, playing the voice of reason, "why don't we talk to Doctor Strange? He was able to free Mulan from The Organization's control. If Supernova did do something to control your mind or whatever, then I'm sure that the former Sorcerer Supreme could free you too!"

Cassie and the others realized the logic behind what Samantha said so they went along with it.

It still wasn't enough though to bring the Young Avengers back. Cassie had a lot more that she needed to say so she got them all to listen to what she had to say.

"We're stronger then all of this," said Cassie. "Mulan is right, if we're going to prove ourselves worthy of being Avengers then we need to come together to stop Supernova and The Source."

"You want to be a Young Avenger again even after what happened?" asked Eli. "Aren't you…afraid to die again?"

"I wasn't afraid the first time," said Cassie. "I knew as soon as I attacked Doctor Doom that I was going to die, but I wasn't scared. I was willing to die for all of you because I didn't want Doctor Doom to hurt the friends that I love so much, you're my family."

Feeling a bit of warmth from what Cassie said, it certainly did seem to lighten the mood in the room.

Not so much for Eli and Kate though as they felt the most reluctant to budge. Eli had once been there leader and Kate was the current leader, it was harder for them to concede when they knew the burden that would befall them again. It was a lot to be held accountable for, especially for Eli since he had made so many mistakes during the Crusade that he knew they couldn't afford to repeat again.

It would take time, but the Young Avengers were getting back on track to do become what they were and who they were meant to be.

* * *

The process would be longer though for Billy as he stood on the deck of the helicarrier. He was outside the giant airship with the wind pelting against his uniform as he stared out to the starlit sky. A few tears would roll down his cheek as he kept looking out, afraid at what was happening to him and with what happen in every second that passed.

Billy couldn't figure out at all how he was going to make any of this work. His head was killing him whenever he thought about any of it. The image of catching Teddy in bed with Jared was constantly repeating in his mind along with what Jared and Doctor Strange said about him being this Child of Creation that was destined to fight The Source of All Chaos.

What kind of sick deity would put this weight on his shoulders when he was already struggling with all of the other troubles in his life?

The little peace that Billy had on the deck came to an end when the wind picked up behind him only to die out a millisecond later. Billy brushed aside a tear and turned back to see Tommy was standing there with his arms crossed across his chest.

Tommy had a particular look in his eye that Billy thought was odd. He didn't have much of a chance to question it though because he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. Billy barely realized it by seeing that Tommy was stretching his fingers slightly after the pain hit him.

"You punched me!" shouted Billy, getting his wind back.

"Yes I did," said Tommy. "Quit being a little bitch, Kaplan!"

Billy's jaw had dropped by the very rude and insensitive comment that Tommy made. He would've hit his brother with a string of spells but instead chose to tell his brother about the burdens that he was facing.

Tommy could only roll his eyes as he placed a hand over Billy's mouth. "You're doing it again, Billy," said the speedster. "You're being a little bitch so let me stop you right there. I will give you credit on the whole Source deal, but that's about as generous as I'm going to get. I have never met a bigger, needy, whinny, and selfish bastard then you."

Once more, Billy was ready to hit his brother with some spells only to have Tommy to continue to cover his mouth from saying a syllable.

"Listen to me," said Tommy. "Do you honestly believe that Teddy would ever in a million years do anything to purposely hurt you? What happened with Jared was a lot of magic and an elaborate illusion. All of us were tricked into thinking that Jared was you. That spell was so powerful that not even Teddy's Skrull and Kree abilities could fight that so you can't hold that against him.

"And one more thing," continued Tommy, "you are so ridiculously selfish! You are so goddamn emo that it pisses me off sometimes. You whine about how the world is against you but that's far from being the truth. You have everything, Billy, and then some. Jeff and Rebecca are amazing parents, your brothers are annoying but they're great, and you have a boyfriend who fought the Avengers to keep you safe. But all you do is complain and complain some more."

Extremely frustrated at this point, but taking the time to cool down some, Tommy finally removed his hand from Billy's mouth. At this point, Billy wasn't about to say a word to him which kept the spotlight on Tommy just the way he liked it.

"Look at Teddy just think about Teddy for one second, what does he have? The woman that he thought was his mother was burned alive in front of him. As for his real mom, she was eaten by Galactus. Now what about his dad? Oh that's right, Captain Mar-Vell is dead too and when Teddy thought he had came back to life it turned out to really be a Skrull in disguise. The one good thing Teddy has is the Young Avengers and you. So tell me, out of the two of you, who has it worst off? Who has a legitimate reason to jump off of Empire State Building?"

It was rhetorical but Tommy had clearly made his point by just how silent Billy was. There was no denying that Billy had been selfish, but to hear his flaws from his brother really put it home for Billy as he turned away, ashamed at his behavior.

Knowing that he really did it this time, Tommy softened down some to really help his brother out in another way. He started to pat Billy's shoulder in a comforting way. "This thing with The Source is terrifying, but you're not alone, Billy," said Tommy. "Even if you're the only one who can defeat The Source at the end of the day, you know that we will do everything in our power to help you win. We won't let you die, you know that Teddy would destroy the universe if it meant saving you."

And with that said, Tommy started to turn away from his brother. He gave Billy some time to himself before finally announcing that it was the big guy's turn to talk.

Billy only had a minute to prepare when he looked back to see Teddy standing there. The big guy as Tommy called him really did look like hell as he hung his head down. Teddy had a lot of guilt for what happened earlier and he hated himself for it.

Teddy was ready to give out a whole speech on how stupid he was and to tell Billy that he had every right to hate him only to be told to shut up by Billy. Tommy was long gone so there was no backup this time, Teddy was ready to turn away when Billy jumped him from behind with his thin arms wrapped around his larger frame.

"I'm a jerk," cried Billy, "and I'm sorry. I know you better than that, I should've known that you would've never done what you done willingly."

A smile formed on Teddy's face as he realized that Billy had honestly forgiven him. It warmed him up a lot to know this, which helped him to untangle himself from Billy's hold so that he could embrace him.

They both cried as they held each other. They were both relieved to back in one another's arms as neither one knew of just how severe The Source's return would be. The one thing that they could count on though was that they would be there for each other and their friends would be fighting beside them.

It was a small hope, but it was one that made things a little better for the time being.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hola guys! I am so excited about this chapter. Big shout of for KingofHearts for figuring out that the title was from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Just another update too. Aside from planning a Final Fantasy X (AU), I'm gonna finally write a season 2 for my Power Rangers fan fic, Power Rangers: Galactic Pirates. I'm gonna put a poll on my profile to see what you guys want to see most. Just an FYI, I won't start writing either one until AFTER I finish Young Avengers which will hopefully be by February. So thank you guys for keeping up with the story so far. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Holidays too since this might be my last update until after Christmas. Love you all! Now read and review.  
**

**Back in Action: **

_Days went by before a decision was made about me. _

_I spent days locked in a cell inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier until an agent brought me out of there. Of course, I was handcuffed which wasn't a surprise but when I saw all of the Young Avengers there and Doctor Strange then I was surprised. They were all silent as I was escorted into a dimly lit room where judgment would be passed on me._

_What I expected was to be found so severally guilty of my crimes and involvement of The Organization that I would be locked up forever. I somehow saw myself being sent to The Raft or The Cube or any of the other numerous supervillain prisons that S.H.I.E.L.D. had commissioned to contain people like me. _

_But none of that is what happened. Landon Samuels, the agent in charge of my case, had been given clearance by the Director to issue my freedom at a price though. Since I cooperated with S.H.I.E.L.D. and provided much needed information on the objectives of The Organization that they were willing to give me my freedom. The only condition was that I would be under the Young Avengers' custody. _

_In a sense, it was either be drafted into the military or locked into jail. Despite the feelings I had about Supernova coming after me to finish the job, I strangely felt safer with the Young Avengers. Even though I had been their enemy and I was responsible for the tension between the mage and the alien, they were willing to take me in._

_I wasn't sure how to take this. I was their enemy; I fought against them on more than one occasion. But they didn't seem to care at least to the extent that they knew my heart was never entangled with The Organization. Mulan had vouched for me in saying that she knew I was always rebellious against Supernova and that I questioned his plots at every turn. It was true; I had moral and ethical issues with Nova since the beginning. But still, I didn't believe I deserved to a place amongst these young heroes despite me only being in their custody._

_I truly didn't feel worthy, especially after the damage I had done to Billy and Teddy. That part was what made me sick to my stomach as Kate Bishop formally offered me a position amongst them. _

_Just like the real Avengers, I suppose, they were willing to take in those who they once fought against all for the greater good. But could I truly be good? Could I at least be good in the level that these kids were? I still didn't feel too certain about that as I accepted the hand that was offered to me. _

_After everything that I've been through and done…could I make up for my past? Can I relieve myself of the burden that had been dropped onto my lap? Can I cleanse myself of the sins that I've committed against humanity?_

_Was I even deserving of forgiveness?_

_That much I was uncertain about. Even now, I still felt like I should've been killed during my fight with Billy or S.H.I.E.L.D. should've kept me locked away indefinitely. It wasn't right for me to be set "free" even if I was bound to the Young Avengers. _

_Oh Joseph, what am I to do? I don't regret my decision to surrender so that you and Vanessa had time to escape. But what am I to do with myself now that you're not around to help me? I am alone and without purpose. _

_Where do I even begin in fixing me?_

* * *

Cassie Lang was silent as sat on the sofa with her mother's arms locked around her. Their reunion was full of tears for her mother, while Cassie had been all cried out as she finally found the motivation to return to her old home. It was wonderful though to be back despite all the times she wanted to escape and the many times that she did run away. Cassie couldn't help but to feel safer now that she was back home with her mom.

Her mother didn't even give Cassie a chance to explain how she was alive. Cassie felt that her mother didn't want to know how it was possible not that Cassie could blame her. It didn't exactly sound good to tell your mother that you had been resurrected by an evil sorcerer who was attempting to use you to hurt your friends so that he could bring the ultimate evil into the universe and reduce it to zero.

Yeah, Cassie didn't want to bring that conversation up. She just wanted to be back home with her family and everyone that she cared for.

She wasn't able to make contact with her father however since he had virtually disappeared since her death. At least that's what Jessica told her after she finished flipping out that Cassie was still alive.

For now, Cassie was happy to be back with at least one of her parents. She could already hear her mother going on about how much she had been missed and how it was senseless of her to follow in her father's heroic footsteps. Instead though, what Cassie hear was completely different from what she expected.

"I am so proud of you, sweetheart," whispered her mother. "I…I still can't believe that my daughter is such a hero. I never wanted you to follow in your father's footsteps, but I knew that I could never stop you if that's what you wanted. Losing you was the hardest thing I ever had to go through but knowing that you had died to save the world made things a little easier."

Her mother resumed her crying as she locked herself around Cassie's frame.

Cassie couldn't help but to cry as well from her mother's confession. It was the nicest thing that her mother had ever said to her and even came close to being an apology for the hell that she had put her through. Cassie was relieved by this as she hugged her mother back, whispering that she was happy to be back home.

Cassie was a little nervous to see the reaction that her stepfather would have. They hadn't gotten along in the past, but since he learned of her superhero activities things had gotten better between them. Their rough relation had slowly been patched up to where the two could actually have a civilized conversation without provoking the other into a fight. They were finally beginning to be like a real family.

She could only wonder if things would continue the way that they were now that she had came back from the dead.

But now Cassie had another hurdle to cross. She knew that she would be welcome back to the Young Avengers with open arms, but she had to decide if she was ready for that. She had already died for them once, could she truly offer herself up like that again? Even with Doctor Strange proving that Supernova had no influence on her, she couldn't help but to feel nervous about everything. There would be war soon and not just the one that was going on between the superheroes of the world.

So Cassie had to ask herself if she was ready to play her part and be a Young Avenger again.

It was a stupid thing to even consider since Cassie already knew the answer to that one. There would be no stopping her when the time came so for now Cassie remained silent as she was just happy to be her.

* * *

Barely remembering to even chew his food, Eli was guzzling down his grandmother's cooking like there was no tomorrow. Technically, there would be no tomorrow if Supernova showed up again this time with The Source backing him up. Eli tried not to be so pessimistic about the future but he found that difficult to do considering everything that had been going on recently.

There was a lot of shit to deal with. They pretty much established that Supernova is completely nuts and hell-bent on killing Billy who is this savior destined to defeat The Source, and that wasn't counting the giant firebird that was threatening to burn the world. Eli didn't even want to think about the problems going on between the Avengers and the X-Men. The Young Avengers needed to worry about dealing with Supernova and The Source before anything else.

Which is Eli has been feeling so troubled, lately. Granted, he was no longer the leader of the Young Avengers, he still felt a tremendous weight on his shoulders after making his return. He knew that the team was counting on him to be there this time for now matter what happened to them. He understood that and he swore to himself that he wouldn't let them down this time around, he was going to stick around even if things turned out ugly.

Yet, Eli just couldn't shake off his feeling of anxiety. Even with plates of his grandma's amazing Soul Food, Eli was still stuck in this rut.

Dropping the fork onto the plate, Eli finally surrendered when it came to eating. His head though was still lost in a thick haze that he couldn't even begin to pull himself out of.

It was a good thing then that Eli wasn't alone in his grandparents' house. Sitting right across from was his hero, the real Captain America, Isaiah Bradley. His grandfather had always been something that Eli had aspired to be in terms of the hero who fought for his country even when his country had no desire to fight for him. Eli had a lot of trouble getting there, but he finally felt like he was finally getting there as he smiled at his grandfather.

The elderly man, virtually mute from the injuries he sustained in war, silently grumbled at Eli before a smile was shot back at him. He continued to clean out his plate too which was probably his fourth one. And there was still more food to be had.

Isaiah dropped his fork not long after Eli did before he began to lean back against the thick chair to rub his belly. A broad grin started to spread across his face, causing Eli to laugh a little as he cleared their plates. As his grandson worked on their dishes, Isaiah looked at the boy to see the cloud of fear that surrounded him. Despite being silent, the elderly man was very intuitive and could see further than most people ever thought possible.

When Eli finished and was about to return to the table, Isaiah stood up to stop his grandson from going any further. This caught the boy surprise but before he could say anything there was a hand on his shoulder. Eli looked at his grandfather, confused by this until as he felt his grandfather squeeze his shoulder in a reassuring way that caused Eli to lose his breath.

Without even moving his mouth, Isaiah was able to send his message to Eli. It felt like his grandfather had entered his mind by this simple acting which left Eli completely speechless as he listened.

"_You're a good boy, Elijah. I am so proud of how far you've come. I am proud of calling you my grandson and I know that you have what it takes to become Captain America. You embody the true American Spirit, a spirit that is imperfect but strives to better itself and to life the spirits of everyone that it comes across. No matter what happens, Eli, no matter how dark and dangerous the world becomes, just know that you have what it takes to overcome it. You come from a family of survivors, of fighters, and of heroes. I believe in you, Eli."_

Tears started to flow down Eli's cheeks as his grandfather's voice continued to play in his head. The teen couldn't help but to feel overwhelmed as he threw himself at his grandfather, thanking the man for everything that he's done for him.

"I'll keep making you proud, gramps," said Eli. "I won't let or grams down."

He heard his grandfather chuckle once more before feeling his voice against his mind. This time, Eli couldn't help but to laugh as his grandfather announced that it wouldn't hurt Eli to find a good woman like Samantha to take care of him, especially since his grandfather wanted some great grandkids before he died.

Eli could only shake his head, promising his grandfather that he would work on that soon.

But now that he thought about it, Samantha was pretty amazing. Maybe he should consider asking her out sometime when the world isn't on the verge of being destroyed though.

* * *

There was a knock on his door, causing Billy to lose focus on a comic that he was reading. He let out a sigh as he realized that he wouldn't be catching up anytime soon as he placed the comic back in its sleeve before moving to answer it. He could've swore that he told his brothers, not counting Tommy, to leave him alone for the day unless there was a serious emergency.

On their defense, Billy failed to categorize what an emergency was.

Billy opened the door to see that it wasn't any of his brothers. Instead, he found a tall, muscular blond with a box of chocolates in his hands. Teddy tried to open his mouth to speak to Billy, but the mutant mage turned away to return to his bed.

Since the door hadn't been closed on his face, Teddy took this as his cue to come in. He closed the door behind him and placed the chocolates on a dresser before climbing on top of the bed with Billy. His boyfriend had his back to him, making Teddy feel like shit as he realized that they still weren't quite at the point of forgiveness.

Despite their talk on the helicarrier, things still hadn't been fixed between them. Billy was still being very guarded, especially now that Jared was a part of the Young Avengers. Teddy had tried everything that he could to get Billy to open up to him, to at least give him a chance but Billy was being very cold.

Finally, Teddy just had enough as he got out of bed as he growled with frustration. "You know, Billy, I'm sick of you being like this with me," said the alien teen. "I didn't cheat on you on purpose, I was under a spell, everyone was under a spell. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell the difference between you and Jared while under it. Don't you know that I love you to death and would never do a thing to jeopardize what we have?"

Billy still kept his back turn despite the truth that Teddy was speaking. He knew it in his heart, but he just couldn't forgive. "I don't blame you, Teddy," Billy confessed. "I know it was the spell, but I just can't forgive myself. I can't forgive me for being so stupid." Billy ended the distance as he finally found himself facing Teddy. He noticed how surprised that Teddy was by the turn in the conversation so Billy knew he had to explain himself.

"I'm supposed to be this powerful mage who is destined to defeat The Source but the minute that I think my boyfriend is cheating on me I lose all self-control. This is exactly what the Avengers were afraid of last year. Me losing control of my powers has never been a good thing, it gets people that I love killed." A few tears started to roll down Billy's face as he finally found himself admitting his deepest, darkest fear. "I'm afraid, Teddy…I'm afraid that one of these days I'm gonna get you killed."

Seeing the grief in his eyes, Teddy couldn't help but to feel a hit in the gut. It wasn't a pain from being lashed out against but it was a pain that Teddy could understand since he had a similar fear.

Teddy broke the divide between them as he approached Billy, sitting down on the bed with him. Slowly, he reached out to wrap his arms around Billy to calm him as he tried to hide his own urge to cry for him. "You're not the only one who is afraid here, babe," whispered Teddy. "Don't you think I'm scared? I'm terrified of this battle with The Source."

Teddy pulled back though so that Billy could look him in the eyes. He wanted Billy to know just how sincere he was about all of this as he made a promise between them. "I know you'll make it through, but I'm afraid what happens after that. I'm scared of what will become of us because I know that it'll only be a matter of time before I'm forced to leave the Earth forever. I can't keep fooling the Kree and the Skrull for much longer."

Billy responded by throwing himself against Teddy's chest, squeezing him half to death before curling closer to him. Teddy started to smile as he realized that they had finally crossed over the Jared thing. They could, hopefully at least, accept Jared as member of the team as they both finally moved on with their eyes. Now, they were just at a point of being afraid of truly exposing their vulnerable sides to each other, but that was a healthy point in their relationship that Teddy was grateful that they had made it to.

"I promise that I'll be there for you, Billy," said Teddy. "Death won't keep me from you, Billy, because I swear that you and I will be together until the end of time."

Shivers started to run down his spine as Billy cowered from his fears. His mind wasn't so certain but his heart knew it to be true. "I know," whispered Billy, "but it won't be easy. There is so much that's gonna happen, so many people who will keep us apart."

"To Hell with all of them then," said Teddy. "All I care about is you and that's the truth."

Proving his commitment to him, Teddy pressed his lips against Billy as the two held each other closely in a beautiful moment. Oblivious to what the world was going to throw at them, for one moment they felt like they could take anything so long as they were together.

And what a moment it was.

Billy finally found himself letting go of his fear just as Teddy finally felt the pieces in his heart coming back together. They were both able to move on with a renewed understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Their fears were shared but their hopes were also the same as they both wanted a future with each other.

They would fight for that future. Billy and Teddy were willing to do whatever it took to make certain that they would end happily ever after. The rings on their fingers were a sign of that promise that they made to each other.

* * *

Landon and Mulan wandered around Manhattan without much direction at all. The whole point of their outing was to get away from the insanity that was going on with the Young Avengers. Since they weren't part of the founding members, they figured it would be best to give the rest of them some space to figure out things between them.

Before leaving though, they had invited Jared and Samantha to join them but their offers were declined. Jared took off to deal with some of his own issues, while Samantha chose to get some training in during their busy schedule. Things were only going to continue being busy though, leaving Landon and Mulan with no other choice but to get away for a while.

Mulan was guzzling a bottle of lemonade that she had bought to cool herself down on a hot, summer day. She tried to dress comfortably, but the city was facing an odd heat wave that bothered them as they worried that something bigger was involved.

Being superheroes led to a certain degree of paranoia that couldn't be ignored due to how aware they were of supervillains that were up to no good at all.

Landon's own paranoia was itching away at the back of his head as he wandered down the road with Mulan beside him. After questioning Jared on the helicarrier, Landon felt bothered by so many things that The Organization had their hands on. He worried just how deep The Organization went since S.H.I.E.L.D. had once been entangled with HYDRA. Did The Organization find roots in other groups and government bodies? Jared had confirmed that the group tried to get its hand onto other government and superhero agencies to better manipulate them all.

"Scared?" Mulan asked as she finished her lemonade.

The young man shook his head as he took the empty bottle from her to throw in the trash. "An agent is never scared," he told her. "We can be worried, concerned, and anxious, but never scared. It clouds our judgment and reasoning."

"Oh," Mulan said, throwing her arms behind her back. "Well, I'm not an agent so I can be scared, which I am. This mess with Supernova and The Source is bothering me. I'm also worried about Billy; he's the one who has to fight The Source."

"He won't be alone though, remember?" said Landon. "You're the one who said that he has all of us fighting beside him."

Mulan nodded her head as she remembered her big speech on the helicarrier. It caused her to chuckle while she blindly walked along the road beside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?" she said, laughing. "I guess I have to go back to being cocky and confident. But things are still gonna get bad. The Source isn't the only thing we have to be afraid of."

"The Avengers and X-Men's war is getting worse," said Landon. "The Avengers have custody over the Mutant children from Utopia, Wakanda nearly drowned, and half of the Avengers have been captured by the X-Men. It's not looking good at all."

There was no arguing with that as Mulan and Landon realized that their stress free day of relaxation was as good as gone.

* * *

Where Landon and Mulan tried to find relaxation through the outside world, Samantha found hers in the ring.

Samantha had some gloves on her hands as she hopped around a ring as she boxed against The Vision. Her opponent, the gracious Vision, was dressed up in his human disguise with a pair of gloves on his hand and following a promise to stay corporal. Even though this was an attempt to even out the playing field, it still wasn't about to be an easy boxing match.

Her fists flew everywhere as she tried to catch The Vision. Without much effort on his part, The Vision was able to calculate her every move in a way that allowed him to anticipate what she was going to next. He saw every pattern that she typically had when it came to fighting and he was able to exploit that in a way to provoke her in a way that would frustrate her.

It was starting to show as Samantha was getting tired of missing her chance to hit The Vision in the face with her boxing gloves. She took one step forward though, applying pressure on her right leg to lunge forward to hit him in the chest. The Vision had foreseen this without much effort and was able to push his body in the opposite direction before hitting her in the shoulder.

Feeling a sharp pain run its course, Samantha cursed her luck as she jumped back. The Vision hadn't hit her hard, but he managed to get her in what was a vulnerable spot for her. "Son of bitch!" she shouted as she covered her shoulder. "Damnit! You got me!" Her voice was filled not with pain but with anger at herself for being so vulnerable. She took a few steps to get away from The Vision despite the Synthazoid being fairly neutral in this sparring match.

"I am sorry if I hurt you, Samantha," said The Vision. "I did not mean to do so."

"Not your fault, V-man," Sam said as she straightened herself out. "I just need to figure you out so that I can finally kick your butt. If I can't handle you than how can I be expected to be as tough as I need to be? Kate can hold her own against you and so can Mulan; I need to get there too."

The Vision smiled as he saw the problem with Sam as a fist was thrown at his head. He sidestepped away from harm before blocking another fist that was coming his way. "You envy them?" asked The Vision. "As a woman, you're jealous that they're able to hold their own better than you can, is that right?"

Growling at him, Sam threw another fist his way only to have it caught by The Vision's forearms and locked in a tight grip. "Mulan is superhuman, I can't compete against that," said Sam, "but Kate is different. I have to be at least as good as she is if I'm gonna go anywhere. I have to compete with the pretty picture that's painted of her!"

Now, The Vision felt a little lost by that last statement just as Sam freed herself due to his lack of focus. Sam tried to exploit this advantage but The Vision blocked her glove and returned to punch her in the chest to send her a few feet back. "I don't understand," said The Vision. "Why do you feel the need to compete with Kate? She is our leader; she has proven herself on numerous missions to us. Are you attempting to take over as leader of the Young Avengers?"

Sam held her stomach with her gloves as she started to glare at The Vision now. He was probing answers from her and he was going along with it since she felt the need to vent right about now. "I'm not trying to lead a coup," said Sam, "I'm just trying to get Eli to look at me. I have to be as good as Kate is for him to notice me, but I have to be better than her for to really notice me."

With that said, Sam threw a punch at The Vision who was completely blindsided by her confession in a way that left him distracted. This time, Sam was able to lay a hand on The Vision with her glove knocking him in the chest.

The Vision was scrambled for but a second before making a comeback as he went back to fight Sam. The two of them went at it for a few more minutes before exhaustion overwhelmed Sam in a way that she simply dropped to the ground, heaving from the hour she spent sparring with The Vision.

Seeing that she was calmer now, The Vision approached her and dropped down to his knees. His gloves were off as he continued with his human appearance as he reached out to pat her on the back.

"You don't have to be like Kate though," said The Vision. "You're amazing being yourself, Samantha. If Eli can't see that then he doesn't deserve your attention."

Despite the tired feeling she had, Sam couldn't help but to smile as she thanked The Vision for the words of advice. It certainly brightened up this pitiful exercise and made her realize that she was being silly for focusing so much on being like Kate to get Eli to notice her.

The Vision was right, Sam needed to only embrace her own awesomeness to get the attention that she so deserved.

* * *

They were dressed casually, but kept a touch of formality in it as they were going out on a lunch date that afternoon.

It was a bit of a surprise though since Tommy kept their lunch venue a mystery to Kate for the time being. He brought her to a part of The Queens that she hadn't been to before, not because it was dangerous because they were capable of handling themselves, but because she had never felt the need to really get lost in The Queens. So it would be with great pleasure that Tommy introduced her to this amazing Puerto Rican restaurant that he discovered a couple of months ago with Teddy and Billy after he crashed their date for fun. He loved the place though and the owner pretty much was wrapped around his finger so that meant larger portions and a cheaper meal.

Kate went along with everything though as Tommy unveiled the surprise. They entered the restaurant with a chorus of warm greetings welcomed them to "La Familia". The cozy restaurant was a typical ma and pop joint, which meant that this is where the best food was going to be served.

They found a table and quickly found themselves lost by the options in the menu. After some debate, they picked their meals then waited for them to be brought to them.

"This place is cute, Tommy," said Kate. "Thank you for taking me out to lunch."

A grin formed on Tommy's face as he held up the glass of water that he had ordered. He needed to play the role of the charmer to get anywhere. "Well, it's been a while since you and I went out on a date so I figured it was time," he told her. "Besides, things have just started to calm down so it seemed only appropriate that we spent some alone time together.

Oddly enough, Kate found this to be fairly predictable of Tommy as she raised her glass in response. She knew that despite the bad boy image he wanted the world to see, Tommy was such a sensitive sweetheart that it was almost sickening. Not in a bad way though, Kate found Tommy to be very interesting which is partly what drew her to him in the first place.

They happily clunk their glasses together, passing time with small talk before their meals were finally brought to them.

Silence hit them as they both were overwhelmed by the amazing flavors that they were hit with. Tommy had planned on keeping the conversation alive, but once he saw that Kate had no attention of doing so then he felt the need to lose himself in his meal. They both practically inhaled their food in as little as ten or fifteen minutes before they dropped their forks on their plates.

"I was wrong," said Kate, "this place is beyond amazing. I've never ate so well before in my life. I owe you, Tommy."

"Never say that," Tommy said as he rubbed his abs turned belly. "I will hold you to those words for the rest of your life."

It hurt them too much to laugh as they tried to give themselves time for the food to settle before trying to talk again. That meant another ten minutes had to pass before they were no longer too miserable to speak which is when their server came with the bill.

Tommy paid it then scooted closer towards the table to look at Kate. He licked his lips for a second as he saw how relaxed and beautiful she was as she looked at a family singing happy birthday to their daughter. He started to notice it too, which made a warm feeling spread throughout his chest. It wasn't the food though, much like the Grinch, Tommy's heart "grew" as he saw the happy family.

"I want that," said Tommy. "I want a family of my own."

Kate turned her head, attention drawn by what Tommy had to say. She understood the troubled past that Tommy had with his biological family and the even more murky history that his soul had with the Maximoff family. All things considered, Kate was amazed that Tommy was as stable and sane as he was. But she could also see why Tommy wanted a family like he did, he wanted to have those cherished memories that all kids deserved to have and to bring joy to the faces of his children.

That's exactly what Tommy wanted; he wanted a wife and kids. He still wanted to be a superhero, but he knew there would be a day when he would have to hang up the suit. When that time came though, he knew that his life as a husband and father would be beginning. That was something he would be okay with, that's what he truly wanted.

It was a quality that Kate found very attractive as she reached out to touch his hand.

"Yeah, I want that too," she confessed.

Holding onto her hand, Tommy knew that he found a keeper as he looked into Kate's eyes. He would most certainly be a fool to let her go. It sounded gay to him, but Tommy had found his Teddy and he wasn't about to let her go.

* * *

But peace never lasted long in New York nor in the lives of the Young Avengers. What happened was a prison breakout from The Raft. It seemed like a weekly occurrence as somebody was always escaping from The Raft, which made the Young Avengers wonder if it was even worth keeping in business.

The Young Avengers had been notified by S.H.I.E.L.D. that some of the inmates had escaped from the prison and was running amuck all over the city. A list was transmitted to them to reveal that the escaped inmates were Viper, Boomerang, the Rhino, Juggernaut, Madam Masque, the Shocker, and The Hood. The threat level was high as these dangerous villains ran wild, meaning that the Young Avengers needed to mobilize to contain the threat.

Assembled, the Young Avengers were already on the move to capture the escaped villains. From what S.H.I.E.L.D. had been able to find out was that the some of the villains were moving out to Manhattan to raise some Hell while the rest were trying to hide.

Hawkeye led Lady Falcon, Wiccan, and Aqua to find the villains that were hiding out, while Patriot led The Vision, Avatar, Hulkling, Turquoise Boy, and Speed to deal with the ones creating havoc.

* * *

The streets were full of chaos as people were running for their lives as Juggernaut and the Rhino smashed everything that got in their way. Boomerang was laughing manically as he used his explosives, while the Shocker was blowing up things with his super-charged fists. It was making a mess of things, which made Patriot and the others hurry in order to contain the situation.

Hulkling and Avatar flew after the Juggernaut, while Patriot went after the Rhino. The superhuman members of the team needed to handle these powerhouses before they could smash every building in the city.

Juggernaut was as incredible and as unstoppable as ever in his red armor and massive helmet. He used his massive physique to smash his fist against a building, causing part of the ground floor to be exposed by this action. A broad grin formed on his face before he felt resistance come when two pairs of hands grabbed him.

With a remarkable amount of force, Juggernaut found himself being thrown back against a parked bus. His body smashed part of it in the process which served to tick the big guy off. Looking up to see who had the gull to attack him, he found himself looking at Hulkling and Avatar who were both flying as they kept their distance from him.

"You punks are gonna regret doing that!" shouted Juggernaut. "Don't you know who I am? I'm the Unstoppable Juggernaut!"

"That's cool," said Hulkling, "but I can care less. I'm Captain Marvel's son."

"And I was experimented on with Ms. Marvel's DNA," Avatar said, happily, "so we're better than you!"

To prove her point, Avatar stuck her tongue out at the Juggernaut to rub it in. This served to really tick Juggernaut off as he got back on his feet and used his raw power to throw himself in the air to smash the two teens.

Avatar and Hulkling flew apart to avoid getting hit. Juggernaut was coming in hot when the duo flew back to grab onto his arms when he least expected it. Using their strength, they threw Juggernaut higher into the air before smashing him with their feet. They drove Juggernaut down to the ground to really lay a hurting on him.

Where the old Juggernaut needed a psychic assault to knock him out, Juggernaut's current abilities didn't need that much effort. All he needed was a good smack down to knock him out.

Hulkling held his fist up towards Avatar who responded by bumping and pounding it with their superhuman strength creating a thunderous sound.

About a block down from them, Patriot was avoiding the Rhino's rampage with his shield strapped to his back. To take him down, Patriot jumped forward to hit the Rhino in the back of the head with his foot. The Rhino ended up crashing through a store window, taking down half of the racks of clothes with him in the process.

Patriot pulled out a couple of sharp stars from his pocket to throw at the temporarily stunned Rhino. The stars managed to hit the man in the back, causing a bit of pain to hit the Rhino, causing the man to growl furiously. He threw himself out of the store with his fists clenched as he looked at Patriot right in the eye. Patriot met the scowl for a scowl of his own as he unhooked his shield from his back.

The Rhino smashed his foot on the ground, causing part of it to crack in the process. "Listen here, Bucky," said the villain, "I don't like being humiliated by little punks like you. So I suggest that you quit now before I have to beat you to an inch of your life."

"Really?" said Patriot. "Well, I'm not afraid of you, Rhino, not after hearing how a little girl kicked your ass."

And that did it. Pouring in salt from the psychological wound left behind from getting his ass beat by Avatar was enough to cause the Rhino to lose himself in a blind rampage. He charged after Patriot like an angry rhino with his feet stomping loudly as Patriot attempted to guard himself by holding up his shield.

However, before the Rhino could make it, they were both in for a big surprise. Patriot was ready to guard himself when a giant fist came out of nowhere to smash the Rhino into the side of a building. It was rather comedic in a way, but the Rhino wouldn't think so when he regained consciousness.

Patriot looked up to see a giant girl dressed in a red and black jumpsuit waving at him. Her blonde hair was a dead giveaway at who it was, causing Patriot to wave back at her to welcome her back to the team.

"It's good to have you back, Cassie," said Patriot.

"Oh, Patriot," said the giant teen, "you know the name is Stature."

Stature made her return into battle, shrinking herself back down with the Pym Particles that was running around in her body. She skipped her way towards Patriot where they both looked at the groaning Rhino who was completely down for the count.

Explosive boomerangs were going off everywhere as Speed ran down the street to catch up to Boomerang. It amazed the teen at how the guy got his hands on that type of gear after barely escaping from prison, but who was he to question how this formula worked? He was just a super handsome, superfast, and super awesome speedster who liked to make things go boom too.

Boomerang continued to laugh as Speed was coming closer towards him. The purple jumpsuit was rather annoying to Speed since the only person he wanted to see in purple was his girlfriend. She was the only one who could pull off that color as far as he was concerned so he had to take this psycho down and get him back into orange.

Speed threw himself forward, avoiding the incoming explosions in order to hit Boomerang with his clenched fist. He was able to hit the man which made him feel a little happy as he watched Boomerang drop to the ground from the high-speed hit.

Knocked off his balance, Boomerang nearly ended up blowing himself from a boomerang that he was attempting to launch before Speed had hit him. He dropped it though, both of them avoiding getting caught up in it though. Boomerang was feeling cocky though despite the superfast teen that decked him with that gnarly punch.

Boomerang brushed the blood off his jaw, while glaring at the speedster. "Little punk," said the villain. "I'm gonna love making you bleed."

"Bring it on, bitch!" Speed said, laughing at him.

And bring it he did. Boomerang launched a boomerang after Speed which began to break apart into pieces just as Speed was charging in. Seeing that these miniature boomerangs were coming in faster than the single one, Speed knew he had to act quick which was totally within his limits. Speed pushed himself back to buy him a couple of seconds to accelerate the molecules of the boomerangs to trigger an explosion.

Once they were all gone, Speed ran the opposite way before Boomerang could do anything else about the situation. Speed came in quick and hot as he punched Boomerang a couple more times to make sure that the guy was down for the count.

When Boomerang fell to the ground with a dazed look on his face, Speed knew that he won this one.

The Shocker was blowing up everything in his path with his high-powered fists. The super conductivity was enough to make a mess of things, making it so that The Vision and Turquoise Boy were going to need to work fast to get rid of him. The threat needed to be removed so that at least some semblance of peace could be restored.

Turquoise Boy was the first one on it as he jumped over a car that The Shocker had blown up just moments before. His suit didn't touch the flames thanks to his training as he landed back on the ground and sprinted forward to catch up to The Shocker, while The Vision was up to some sneaky tricks.

A burst of energy erupted from the gloves worn by the Shocker, triggering a nearby bus to explode. The Shocker was laughing his head off when he felt something snag onto his leg. He looked down to see that The Vision had phased through the ground and was hanging onto him for dear life.

"What the hell!" shouted the Shocker. Attempting to get rid of The Vision, the Shocker hurled a burst of energy at the ground to create an explosion. Only it proved to be ineffective as The Vision wasn't in a physical state.

The Vision shook his head as he looked down at the ground that the Shocker nearly blew up. It was close to the villain's feet, which made this fairly sad. "You could've blown up your own foot," said The Vision. "That wasn't a bright move. By the way, lookout."

Having no idea what that was supposed to mean, the Shocker didn't see Turquoise Boy coming in for the landing. The agent came in low to trip the Shocker as The Vision faded back to the ground. Knocked off his balance, the Shocker dropped to his back as Turquoise Boy knocked him with a powerful sedative that came out from his glove.

Back on his feet with a passed out Shocker below him, Turquoise Boy threw a thumbs up at The Vision. "Nice job, man," said the agent. "I couldn't have done it without you."

The Vision agreed as they turned to help the others gather the escaped villains.

* * *

Hawkeye's team was on it as they found the hidden escapees. Viper, Madam Masque, and The Hood were attempting to leave through a stolen taxi cab when Wiccan caught up to them. He was able to cast a spell to stop the car, forcing the villains to come out in order to deal with the mage. Once they were out in the open that is when the others started to shop up to assist in taking down the villains.

Viper went off in one direction with Hawkeye chasing after her, while The Hood and Wiccan went at it for another round with Aqua backing the mage up as Lady Falcon found herself alone with Madam Masque.

The stealthy criminal leaped over the broken car to put some distance between her and the Falcon's daughter. Lady Falcon was afraid to take on Madam Masque as she flew off after her, making sure to keep her eyes on her so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

Luckily, there was enough panic from the presence of escaped inmates and superheroes to keep the crowd from getting too curious. The people parted ways as Lady Falcon hunted Madam Masque down through a subway tunnel.

Lady Falcon grabbed the masked woman before she could go any further. The tackle caused them both to roll around on the concrete, nearly landing into the pit of the train tracks as a subway zoomed passed them. Madam Masque was back on her feet the fastest as the train rolled behind her. She kicked the teenage girl in the chest so that she could get away from a near death situation and closer to her freedom.

"Arrogant brat," said Madam Masque, "do you really think to take me on? I'm far stronger than you and been in the game a lot longer then you have."

Shrugging off the kick, Lady Falcon crouched into her battle stance as she braced herself for impact. "Well, youth may come to my advantage, homegirl," said the younger woman. "Let's see what you can do."

Madam Masque did just that as she threw herself forward to kick her opponent in the face. This time, Lady Falcon was expecting that move thanks to her training with The Vision.

With renewed confidence in herself, Lady Falcon was able to avoid every blow that Madam Masque sent at her. Since she was on the defensive, her energy was nearly all there while Madam Masque was tiring herself out with every move that she made. Once it became obvious that she was beginning to pant for air due to her arrogance, Lady Falcon knew it was time to strike.

She rotated her body around to kick Madam Masque in the chest before lunging forward to hit her in the shoulder with her fist. This served to disarm the criminal somewhat with the younger woman still on her A-game as she went forward with her elbow out. Madam Masque's golden mask got hit by Lady Falcon's elbow, causing injury to an already vulnerable portion of her body. Although not enough to threaten the injury, Madam Masque was still riddled with pain as she left herself open for Lady Falcon to knock her off her feet with a kick.

Lady Falcon pressed the heel of her boots down on Madam Masque's chest, making it clear to her that the fight was over.

Above the subway, Hawkeye had tracked Viper down to an aboveground railroad. It hadn't been used in years so there was no immediate danger of any trains coming after them, which made Hawkeye feel a little better after chasing down one of HYDRA's chiefs.

With bow and arrow out, Hawkeye took the liberty of firing them after Viper to stall her progress. Unafraid by these tricks, Viper lashed out by cracking an energy whip against them to prevent herself from being hit. As one more arrow came at her head, Viper showed off her skills by kicking it out of the way, causing an explosion to go off above them.

Cracking her whip, Viper threw it forward so that it would tangle itself around Hawkeye's bow. She pulled the weapon away from the teenage girl and threw it off the rail so that it was out of the way. "Well, darling," said Viper, "is that the best you have to offer me? Barton is a far better shot than you are. I'm afraid that you're out of your league here." To prove her point, she pulled out a gun and cocked the trigger to belittle Hawkeye.

Hawkeye wasn't afraid though as she paused for a moment to take this in. She still had her sword, but it would be useless until she got rid of Viper's gun. Pulling a small knife from her belt, Hawkeye was ready for this as she decided to get Viper going a little.

"Sorry babe, but I think you're the one out of your league here," said Hawkeye.

Throwing the knife at her, Hawkeye proved herself to be accurate enough to hit the hole of the gun. Viper was caught by surprised by this by performing a trick that her male counterpart had trouble doing at first. As this opening was wide, Hawkeye took off running as she armed herself with her sword now.

Hawkeye swung and was able to get Viper to panic a bit to avoid getting cut. She bumped the gun out of Viper's hand just as the HYDRA woman made her comeback with a whip. The whip was tangled around the sword, but Hawkeye was hoping that Viper would do just that as she winked at her from behind her glasses.

Grabbing onto her sword with both hands, Hawkeye pulled Viper forward with all her humanly might. She got just that as Viper was stumbling forward and was rewarded by Hawkeye punching her in the face. The blow was able to knock her off the rail with Hawkeye jumping after her to keep the woman from dying as she pulled out an arrow that served also as a zipline.

Wiccan avoided the bullets that were coming after him as Aqua kept to the sidelines, while The Hood kept on shooting at them both. Even without showing any signs of having magical abilities, The Hood still wasn't one to be underestimated since he was still an excellent gunner.

To protect himself, Wiccan pulled up a magical barrier to keep the bullets from piercing his flesh and any vital organs. He looked off to the side to see Aqua hiding behind a brick wall as they were both trapped on the rooftop of an apartment complex with a criminal mastermind.

The Hood retracted his guns as he saw that his bullets weren't going to be enough to break down the wall that Wiccan had up. He growled a little as he brushed his tattered clock over his shoulders. "You know, little Merlin," said The Hood, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. Even without the Infinity Gauntlet or Dormammu's enchantments, I can still wipe the floor with you."

In order to prove this point, The Hood unleashed a torrent of energy from his body. It came as a surprise to Wiccan and Aqua as they had heard that The Hood lost all of his abilities of sorcery when Dormammu reclaimed his gift and when Thanos reclaimed the Infinity Gems. Yet here was The Hood, boiling with mystical energy.

Aqua pulled himself out of his hiding spot long enough to be spotted beside Wiccan. In his new attire, Aqua was attempting to shrug off his origins with The Organization. He was dressed in tight, blue leggings with a sleeveless, wavy vest covering his chest. His blue hair was floating freely against the wave of energy that The Hood was releasing.

"I guess he's been dabbling in that old black magic," said Aqua.

"Looks like it," Wiccan said, still not exactly thrilled to have Aqua with him.

Well aware of this, Aqua knew he was going to have to really prove himself if he was going to make it up to Wiccan. He had apologized to him and Teddy before, now it was time to show how sorry he was.

"I'll distract him so hit the loser with conjured water and I'll take care of the rest," said Aqua.

Unsure of exactly what he had in mind, Wiccan decided to roll with it as the two broke apart. Wiccan went into the air as Aqua attempted to distract The Hood who was now deep in the mystical energy he summoned.

The Hood hurled mystical streams of energy after Aqua, which the water-bender was able to avoid thanks to his training with The Organization. Aqua knew that he would be quicker than The Hood, but that power he had was something out of his league. Without immersing himself in that chaotic power, Aqua knew that his time against The Hood wouldn't last long.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that as Wiccan came through.

As The Hood was distracted with trying to burn Aqua, Wiccan flew behind The Hood with the image of water appearing in mind. He used his magic to summon a roaring blast of water that quickly smothered The Hood and half of the rooftop in the process.

Aqua was loving this as he gathered the water together to condense around The Hood. He brushed all of the excess to be evaporated into the atmosphere as he focused on keeping what he needed in order to neutralize The Hood. It was met with resistance though as The Hood tried to use his powers to break free only to be frozen when Aqua turned the water into ice to trap The Hood in an icy prison.

The Hood was boiling from within, but his magic was temporarily sealed as Wiccan used his magic to suppress his powers. Wiccan understood that the seal wouldn't last for long but he was counting on it lasting long enough to get his butt back to The Raft.

With him done for, Wiccan and Aqua brought the frozen Hood down to the ground where the other Young Avengers had finished off their villains. Soon enough, the escapees were shipped off back to The Raft to finish off their sentence at least until they could figure out how to break out again.

For now, things were safe again and the Young Avengers were back together which was amazing enough.

Stature was embraced with open arms as everyone took the time to welcome her. Avatar and Hulkling were still going off about how they took down the Juggernaut, while Lady Falcon laughed about how she got Madam Masque. They all detailed their adventures with Wiccan and Aqua saving theirs for last.

And in the midst of the story, Wiccan admitted that he couldn't have done it without Aqua's quick thinking. Aqua realized that Wiccan was granting him an inch, which was much appreciate as he understood that there might be some hope for him after all of cleansing himself of his sins. He truly appreciated the words that Wiccan said as he found himself lost amongst the Young Avengers, a former enemy now turned into an ally.

* * *

Deep in the depths of darkness stirred the beginning of the return of a great evil.

Supernova had been deeply shamed by the collapse of his Organization and the defeat at the hands of the powerless Sorcerer Supreme. Everything that he had strived to build for his Master collapsed in a single day by the actions of a traitorous whore.

It infuriated Nova to just think about how everything was gone now. The plans he had to bring his Master back into reality had been derailed now that all of his weapons and servants were gone. There felt like no hope for him as he lost himself into the depths of their disgraced headquarters built beneath the Holy City.

It was here that The Source was supposed to arise to begin the end of the multi-verse. Things were to be destroyed and lost in a sea of beautiful chaos. That would've been a truly glorious sight to behold, but it was lost to Nova now that his Organization was gone.

The Organization was supposed to be the keys needed to restore The Source. The diversity of its members and the abilities that they wielded was supposed to bring about the change necessary to end the suffering of the living. He was the one who was meant to hold them together, exploiting their vulnerabilities so that he could use them to anoint himself to be united with the glory that was The Source.

And now he had nothing.

Supernova felt truly pitiful as he wandered into the chamber where the mirror was held. It was there that he would attempt to make contact with The Source for the final time before facing his punishment. Certain death awaited him, but unlike Aqua, he was no coward. Nova was brave enough to face The Source and embrace the punishment that was selected for him.

"I do not deserve your forgiveness, lord," said Supernova. "I am unworthy of you. I have failed you too many times, I am truly at fault. Punish me, Almighty Source, in any way that you see fit. I am under your whim, lord."

Dropping to his knees, Nova braced his spirit for the worst only to receive nothing. Moments passed yet nothing happened to him. His flesh was blemish free, the walls weren't bleeding, and no demons surrounded him to torture him.

When Nova picked his head up to face his Master that is when he felt it. His mind being pierced by the glorious voice of his Master, cross the divide between realities to give him a message.

Supernova nearly fell to his face as The Source finished speaking to him. The man became overwhelmed with joy and praise for his Master as he looked to the mirror with bloody tears streaming down his face.

"Thy will shall be done," said Supernova. "I will awaken them." Joyous laughter escaped his throat as what little sanity he had started to crumble down. Oh, his Master's vision for the world was truly beautiful and Supernova will do what was needed to make it happen. "The Beasts shall rise to pave the way for your return. I swear, lord, that I shall not fail you again!" Throwing his arms into the air to offer his praise, Supernova lost himself to the "spirit" of an unholy power. "Glory be to The Source!"

It was time to reorganize The Organization.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: To all my lovely fans, thank you for sticking with me this long! Things are about to hit the fan now as the real fun begins. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, especially if the apocalypse does happen. Its passed 1pm here so I doubt anything will happen at this point. Alright then! Enjoy the update. Read and review!  
**

**The Storm:**

_There were a lot of things happening, things were changing. I don't know how to explain it, but I could just feel it in my bones every day. _

_Since we heard about the prophecy, I've been worried about Billy. Well, that was only half of it. Doctor Strange said that the LifeForce changed the both of us so what did that mean for me? How am I different from who I was supposed to be or whatever? _

_Could I have something to do with my powers? Ever since the LifeForce was released back into the universe, I've been noticing my ability to generate explosions has been changing. I just thought it was just a natural part of my mutation that as I get older then my powers are growing stronger._

_But now I'm not so sure, not after the fight against Supernova and the Daemons a couple of weeks ago. Magic was the only thing that was able to actually defeat the Daemons. I saw how the others struggled just to slow the Daemons down, but Billy and Doctor Strange's powers were powerful enough to defeat them. My powers could too, which doesn't seem right since I'm not magical, I'm just a mutant._

_Or am I? _

_Does the LifeForce have anything to do with it? Did it somehow alter my powers or left a magical imprint of itself on me? What does this mean about the prophecy?_

_Ah, fuck it all! I'm just gonna forget about all of this mess. I've already had to slap some sense into a bitchy Billy then get yelled at before Teddy finally thanked me for fixing my idiot brother. _

_Look so long as my powers don't go out of control or evolve into something weird then it probably means that all of this is just in my head. I'll just worry about myself and keeping my relationship with Kate going strong. Oh, and I kinda have to be concerned about what's going on with Billy and the prophecy deal. This battle with The Source is pretty much set in stone so I know that we're gonna be in for a big fight soon enough._

_Speaking of big fights, I haven't heard any updates about the Avengers for a while. I wonder how their battle against the X-Men and the Phoenix Force is going. Last I heard was that Spiderman had fought both Colossus and Magik at the same time. I still don't know how that battle went, but I did hear how Namor lost his connection to the Phoenix and how it was redistributed to the other X-Men. _

_Man though, this silence is really starting to make me worry about mom. Like I said though, I'm just gonna focus on keeping my shit together short of everything starting to blow up in our faces. _

_That sounds like a plan to me. Yeah, that's a really good plan, Tommy._

* * *

The front door to the Sanctum Sanctorum opened for him before he even had a chance to knock.

Billy stepped inside the home of Doctor Strange once more, but this time he was alone as he entered the mystical lair. He walked through the doors as a frightened youth who was looking for a helping hand through the darkness that awaited him. It had been like this for days now. Billy could feel a constant chill in the air as he took this to be a sign that Judgment Day was coming closer as the day that destiny would arrive to claim him.

In his heart, Billy knew that the moment where he would battle The Source was nearly upon them. However, the young mage had no idea just what that meant for him. How was he supposed to defeat a force of power that predates all that exists? Where was he to start? What magic was he supposed to unearth? There were so many questions that he had and he only knew one person who might be able to help him.

There was no sign of the sorcerer's helper anywhere inside the lair. Billy had to assume that Wong was either busy doing something else or the good doctor gave him the day off. Since the Sanctum Sanctorum allowed him to enter without difficulty, Billy figured that the sorcerer sensed the need for the young mage to discuss the coming battle.

Billy could only pray that Doctor Strange would be of help to him as he knocked on the door to his private study.

"Please come in, William," said the confident voice of Doctor Strange.

Hoping that this was a good sign, Billy opened the door to find himself inside the study of the former Sorcerer Supreme once more. The young mage appeared wide-eyed despite already have a conversation before with Doctor Strange inside the study. It still impressed him though as he looked upon the various texts and artifacts that waited inside.

Billy took a seat in a chair that the sorcerer conjured for him. It was comfortable and helped to ease some of his tension as the sorcerer offered a cup of tea to go with the comfy chair. A cup was poured for him, which Billy slowly began to sip to relax his troubled mind.

Appearing comfortable in his chair, the robed sorcerer took a gentle sip from his tea before turning his sights onto the young mage. "I know why you are here, William," said Doctor Strange. "I hate to agree with you, but the trouble you are feeling are signs of doom. The Source is stirring and the seals that once kept him bound are slowly beginning to weaken."

"So that means I'm gonna have to fight him soon," whispered Billy. "But how though? Where do I even begin to fight The Source? I'm barely gonna turn eighteen."

"It's fortunate for you that most mages reach magical maturity at age seventeen," said Doctor Strange. "Since you were born with magic already in your blood, you potentially have full access to your magic. It is just up to you to awaken the abilities that sleep within you."

Billy huffed as he took another sip from his tea. He placed the cup on the sorcerer's desk as he started to stare at him with a frustrated look on his face. "Forgive me, Stephan, but that is lame," said the young mage. "How in the hell does that help me? So what if my spells can be stronger now! How does that directly help me fight The Source? What I need is a weapon or a spell or something!"

Listening to the teenager's rant made Doctor Strange grateful that he didn't have kids of his own. He had enough trouble to deal with other people's children; he sure as hell didn't want to have his own running around to run amuck.

Doctor Strange waved his hand though just as Billy started to calm himself down a bit. In that simple motion, tiny sparkles of magical energy appeared on top of the desk before a small text materialized before them. The moment that it landed on the desk, the text opened up to a page that the sorcerer wanted Billy to know about.

Curiosity already struck Billy as the young mage ran to the other side of the desk to read it. But he soon discovered that the text was in a set of runes that he had no idea how to begin how to read. "I found a passage about The Source in this text," explained Doctor Strange. "It's vague, but it mentions how The Source was defeated the first time."

"Oh," said Billy, "what does it say?"

"Nothing much that would be of actual value," said Doctor Strange. "It does mention a spell though that was used to seal The Source. It was a spell that harnessed the magical essence of the universe in order to construct The Source's prison and seal him away from all realities."

"Does it say what the spell is?" Billy asked hopeful tears in his eyes.

Doctor Strange could only shake his head though. He closed the desk before placing a hand over Billy's hand. "It was a Sorcerer Supreme who sealed The Source away before," said the sorcerer. "One of my predecessors constructed the spell and left its contents a secret except for those who bore the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Had I still held onto the title or if Brother Voodoo were still alive then we could've gave you the spell, but since I am no longer Sorcerer Supreme and Brother Voodoo is dead…"

"The spell is lost," Billy said as tears started to freely flow down his face. "That means that the only chance I had to defeat The Source is gone."

At that moment, Billy felt utterly hopeless as he dropped to his knees with tears running. Doctor Strange felt troubled for the teen as he looked away from him. He felt equally guilty for not being able to do more to help Billy, but with the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme lost…there was nothing more that could be done.

The Child of Creation had no chance to defeat The Source now.

Humanities only chance at survival was lost in the sands of time.

The only thing that Doctor Strange could think of that might help was for them to create a new spell. But even that was a shot in the dark as not even he had any idea where to begin to create a spell of such magnitude.

* * *

Hands shaky and palms sweaty, Eli never felt more like a nervous wreck until now. He accidently spilt half of his Tic Tacs because he was nervous about what he was going to do as he paced uncomfortably in his grandparents' hallways. The only bright side to all of this was that his grandparents were out to church, leaving him alone with her.

Eli couldn't believe what he was about to do as he shuffled away from Samantha's bedroom door. He was acting like a total creep, a nervous one, but a creep nonetheless. So he was brave enough to fight Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom, but asking a cute girl out on a date was beyond him.

It wasn't this difficult with Kate! Why wasn't it this difficult with Kate?

Oh right, she made the first move. That was the only reason why Eli wasn't a complete train wreck and pacing around back then. There was that and the fact that they fought like cats and dogs all the time. This time around though, Eli felt perfectly at ease with Sam that he wondered if this is how Billy and Teddy felt like with each other.

Shit, now he was venturing into dangerous territory inside his mind. He was barley eighteen and already thinking about true love. That wasn't a safe place for someone as young as him to be in, especially when there was a girl who he wasn't even sure if she felt the same way involved.

"Alright Eli," he told himself, "you can do this. All you have to do is just ask her out on a date. The worst she can do is say no to you and then you can turn into a whinny, little bitch. Until then though, shape up! You can do this. You can do this!"

Pumping himself up, the young supersoldier turned his back around and started to make his way back towards Samantha's door. He was ready to ask her out only to pause the moment his knuckles were about to touch the door. "I can't do this," he mumbled to himself as he stepped back.

"You can't do what, Eli?"

Jumping out of his skin, Eli thought he saw death as he threw his back against the door. This act of stupidity resulted in his mass breaking down the door with him landing on his back as a hearty laugh started to hit him.

As he tried to shake it off, a hand was extended to help him out. This prompted Eli to see that it was Samantha who had startled him so, which meant that she hadn't been in her room and she could've potentially heard everything that he said.

Oh could his life get anymore humiliating? The only thing that could possibly make this worse is if she could see his Captain America boxers.

Samantha yanked Eli up off the ground with a light sigh escaping him as she did so. He was fairly heavy so it required a lot more effort than she usually did with her weight lifting. "Just so you know," said Sam, "you owe me a new door. I can't believe you broke it down with your black ass."

"I'm sorry about that," said Eli. "I…I just wanted to ask you something."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Samantha had a bit of a smile on her face. She didn't want to blow the surprise now, but she did in fact hear what he had to say as she was coming down the hall. "You did, did you?" said Sam. "What were you going to ask me? Does it have anything to do with this Source mess?"

"No, not that. It was something personal," Eli said, gulping as his nerves got to him. Shit, why did he have to be such a nerd when it came to these things? He was fucking Patriot for goodness sakes.

Samantha nodded her head as she had a good feeling that Eli was a little too skittish to make the first move. As much as she liked to have the boys make the first move, she was going to have to show Eli some mercy before he gave himself a heart attack.

Leaning forward a bit, Samantha stole his box of Tic Tacs out from his hand. She popped a few in her mouth in a quick motion with a smile forming on her face as the minty freshness hit her well. "Sure Eli," she said, calmly, "I'll go out with you."

Eli stopped dead in his tracks for a moment as he tried to figure out what just happened. He wasn't so concerned with the fact that his mints were gone.

"You heard me!" Eli said as Samantha was walking away.

"It's not like you were being quite," she said, laughing as she went down the stairs. "Remember that you're paying for the date and I'm expensive."

What was he getting himself into? Eli had no idea what type of black hole he was falling into, but all of that nervous energy was gone though at least. It was replaced with excitement and wonder, making him feel like a kid again at the prospect at something good happening to him for a nice change.

Maybe something good could come out of this date with Samantha. Who knows, he might get a girlfriend out of this.

With any luck, the world just might end after he gets a girlfriend.

* * *

The diner was crowded and loud, making it the perfect place for them to meet. Jared felt anxious as he sat in the booth with his blue hair covering part of his face as he found temporary relief from the Young Avengers' eyes. It was mainly due to The Vision being distracted with Cassie, while the rest of them were busy with their own lives. Too busy to watch their former enemy as he met with someone close to him.

Time ticked slowly until Jared paid attention to a bell ringing as the door opened up. He smelt a thick scent in the air that made every nerve in his body tingle with his balls swelling up and his hole quivered. As dirty was it sounded, it was the truth. The earth-bender had that effect on him every single time his scent met him.

Jared lifted his head up to see Joseph entering the diner. After a moment's pause, Joseph found where Jared was which caused a cheeky grin to form on his face as he made his way towards him. The two of them reunited in this crowded diner, nobody paying them any attention as Jared lifted himself up to kiss his love.

Joseph pressed his lips against Jared's to prove just how much the feelings were mutual. After a moment, he finally sat down across from him, their hands locked together with them coming together in a moment of love.

"You've been gone for a while," whispered Jared. "I was worried that something happened."

A smirk grew on Joseph's face as he rubbed his fingers against Jared's hands. He would squeeze gently to show the water-bender that he really was there. "Nessa and I made it out of there without getting caught," he told his lover. "There was nothing to worry about. We were more surprised to hear that you were working with the Young Avengers now…considering everything that's happened."

Nodding his head, Jared had to admit how true that was. A lot had happened between them all that it was a wonder how he wasn't rotting in a prison cell. "They're…they're very forgiving," Jared began to say. "I don't know how else to explain it. I'm not sure if I should call them naïve or if they're just remarkable group. They've made me feel at home with them though despite the pain that I caused and the evil that I've done."

In attempt to pull him out of it, Joseph squeezed Jared's hand as tightly as he could. It was so tight that it would almost hurt but there was enough compassion behind it to keep that from happening. "You and your concept of morality," laughed Joseph. "That's the problem with growing up in a devout Roman Catholic family."

"You're Spanish," said Jared, "like your family wasn't devout?"

"They turn to God when it was convenient for them," laughed Joseph. "Other than that, I don't think my father could recite a Hail Mary if his life depended on it."

Jared found some humor in that as he remembered his life back home. Catholic school wasn't exactly that great on him as he was force fed all of this Catholic doctrine that basically damned everything about him. He knew now that it was senseless to listen to all of that, but it was hard to shake away the scars from the past that burned against his flesh. He could still feel the beatings that the nuns, the priests, and his parents gave him when his mutation started to develop.

Fortunately for Joseph that he didn't have to go through such pain. His family merely disowned him and his sister after their powers were discovered. A well-to-do family didn't want their name tarnished by having Mutant children. There were no beatings and no hate speeches made against them. All that was said was their mother's heartless words that they were no longer welcomed in their house.

They all wandered for a time, alone and without anything to call their own. Joseph and Vanessa had each other though so they were able to survive until Supernova discovered them at a young age. As for Jared, well, his story had already been made clear. His nights of walking the streets and spending his time on his back with his legs in the air were all vividly clear.

What was stronger though were all of the times he spent with Joseph. Those were the memories that Jared cherished with all of his heart as he clung onto Joseph's hands.

"What will become of us now?" asked Jared. "Nova's growing stronger."

Joseph knew this to be true. There was no doubt that Supernova would begin to mobilize soon enough. Things were about to get dark very fast for them, which meant that they all needed to be stronger than they ever could be to survive the coming storm.

"No matter what happens," Joseph said, squeezing Jared's hand, "I'll be beside you. Even if you go to war with Nova, I will fight with you to make that miserable bastard pay for everything he's done. He won't destroy anymore lives and we will have nothing more to do with him."

Hearing those words brought some joy to Jared as he knew that he could count on Joseph being there with him. It warmed his heart as he leaned forward to kiss his lover once more, feeling his and Joseph's strength behind the kiss.

Jared was positive about his feelings for Joseph and he was positive about becoming a Young Avenger, but he was terrified of what waited for him with Supernova and The Source.

* * *

A fire was burning in the middle of an apartment building, causing danger for everyone who weren't able to evacuate on time. The fire department was doing everything that they could to put out the blaze and get the people out, but this particular fire was too nasty for them to handle on their own.

Fortunately, the alarm had been raised and the Young Avengers were on their way.

Speed was running down the road as Avatar flew in with Turquoise Boy hanging on as she gave him a ride. The three of them were the only ones who were able to be assembled to help, but it would be important nonetheless as the three of them were skilled enough to help evacuate those who were still trapped inside.

Turquoise Boy found out that at least ten people were still trapped on the top floors. The heart of the fire was coming from the middle of the building, which meant taking the stairs was completely out of the question. They would have to go airborne if they were going to reach the people trapped at the top.

But the danger that the fire could spread or worse trigger an explosion was the firefighters' greatest concern at the moment. The trio took notice of this as they came up with a plan to help get the people trapped to safety. Avatar would fly Turquoise Boy up to the top and would begin work on evacuating the people, while Speed worked on suppressing the flames.

Acting as their leader, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent turned to Speed so that the mutant could pay attention to the words he was going to say. "If you can just keep the fire contained for a few minutes," said Turquoise Boy, "then we can get everyone out of there before its too late. Do you think you can do that?"

"Not a problem," said Speed. "Hurry up because I don't know how long I can hold the flames back."

"Gotcha," Avatar said as she grabbed onto Turquoise Boy's arm. "Pay attention to the Comm. Link so that we can let you know when to get out of there."

Speed nodded his head as the two of them flew while he ran into the fire.

Pushing through the fire, Speed was able to escape the small flames that were brewing on the lower floors of the ten-floor, apartment complex. He ascended up the stairs, barely exerting any energy as he fought through the smoke and flames until he reached the middle floors. The firemen told him that the worst of the fire was on the seventh floor, meaning that Speed needed to work on containing the fire there before things could get worse.

He came to a stop as he felt a strong heat knock the wind out of him. He coughed a little as he looked to see that the blaze was burning bright just like he had been warned. Realizing that this could get bad for him fast, Speed needed to figure out a way to keep the flames contained for a good couple of minutes.

"Tommy," came Turquoise Boy's voice on the link. "We found three people so far. We only need to find seven more."

"Understood," replied Speed.

Speed was a little relieved to see that they were making progress on the search for the trapped occupants. He needed to focus on buying his friends some more time though since he wasn't sure how difficult it was going to get for them. The last thing that he wanted to do was trigger an explosion so he didn't want to use his molecular abilities. Maybe if he could create a window vacuum with his speed, he could contain some of the fire into a dense space.

But that would risk trigger a massive explosion, he would end up dead unless he blazed out of there due to his proximity to the fire. Damn, he was starting to wish that Billy's ass was here to magic the fire away. Oh well, Speed was going to have to pick up the slack as he realized he had no other choice but to do just that.

Whirling his hands around, Speed created the vacuum that he had in mind. A wind tunnel was born, gathering the brewing flames from the floor to help Speed contain the fire. In the process of doing this, Speed caught side of something as he stood in the middle of the hallway.

There was an open apartment door which burned brighter than the rest of the apartments on the floor. Taking careful steps, Speed kept the fire contained as he tried to get a closer look. His eyes eventually zeroed in on a scorched wall that looked as if there had been an explosion when he noticed broken glass and a peculiar substance scattered about.

"I think I know what caused the fire," Speed said to the others. "It looks like somebody was playing with some chemicals that blew up on him."

"What kind of chemicals?" came Avatar's voice.

"I can't tell," said Speed. "I won't be able to tell without risking losing control over the fire here. Are you guys almost done?"

"Yeah," said Avatar. "We have two more people to find. Keep up the good work, Tommy."

"Hang in there, buddy," said Turquoise Boy.

Speed nodded his head as he started to step back. He didn't want to be too close to the flames' origins when things went sourer on him. He gave himself a little more space too so that he could make containing the fire a little easier on his body since the closeness was making him a little light-headed.

There was still a semi-thick air of smoke that was giving him a bit of a buzz. So long as his teammates finished quickly then he had nothing to worry about.

At least that's what he thought when he felt his whirlwind growing weaker. The flames were returning to burning the walls which was not a good sign at all. There was a brief flesh with Speed unable to catch what it was that he saw but it looked like a face was in the flame. Then Speed blinked his eyes to see the flames being contained then the following blink the flames were beginning to spread.

Things only fell apart from there. The whirlwind died but increased the ferocity of the fire to the boiling point as the flames came rushing towards Speed. There wasn't enough time for him to run out of there. There would only be death as Speed gave out a startled yell just as he heard Avatar and Turquoise Boy tell him to leave the building.

It was too late for him though. Speed awaited for the flames to kill him as he raised his hands forward in a pathetic attempt to protect himself. However, protection did come as Speed's hands radiated with a faint glow before fading away. Speed saw this and was even more surprised to see that the flames were slowing down in their approach before stopping completely.

At that point, Speed felt drained as the flames appeared to be frozen in time. He had no idea how this was possible, but he was certain that he had something to do with this as he felt a strange tingling in his hands.

Then there was burning that came. Speed's hands felt itchy as he raised them up once more only for his hands to glow for a split second before the flames began to react once more. Before his very eyes, it seemed like the flames were being melted in their frozen state. It wasn't like ice being melted though or a plastic army man being melted by the sun. This was something else entirely.

This was more like the fire's molecular structure was deteriorating to the point it was no longer dangerous. After that second, the flames were no longer frozen but briefly rushed passed Speed to the point where they were no longer a danger at all to him. He felt some heat, but nothing more nor did he feel any pain as the heated blaze was gone.

But what was left though as exhaustion as Speed finally collapsed to the ground half conscious as he heard the walls breaking apart. His eye lids grew heavy as he looked off to the side to see Avatar coming after him, snatching him up before he finally passed out.

* * *

The alarms went off again as another threat alerted the Young Avengers to danger just as Speed, Turquoise Boy, and Avatar had left to deal with the fire. This time though, the threat was something far greater than an apartment fire. There was a psychic disturbance only miles outside the city which was causing major problems along the freeway.

Wiccan casted a teleportation spell to take Hawkeye, Aqua, Hulkling, and himself there in order to combat this menace. The magic had its desired effect as they were transported there in a matter of seconds.

As their feet appeared on the ground, a wave of burning, psychic energy began to spread that nearly violated the minds of the Young Avengers present. Wiccan erected a magical shield to protect them from the brunt of the assault. The shield held for quite some time before marks of strains appeared on Wiccan's forehead from casting such a powerful spell just moments after he teleported them miles away.

The wave passed with Wiccan stepping down as Hawkeye led the rest of the team out to face the trouble maker. She was armed with her bow and arrows as she took aim at the lone figure that stood in the middle of a field. Hulkling and Aqua appeared worried as they got a closer look at their attacker, discovering just who it was.

A wave of fear spread as the mind of one of the world's most powerful telepaths entered their thoughts. Her voice was loud and clear as she announced exactly who she was, although, they knew exactly who this infamous woman was. Everyone there with the exception of Aqua had bad memories of the telepath from their last encounter with her during the crusades.

Burning with the powers of the Phoenix Force was none other than the former White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Emma Frost was grinning from ear to ear as her blonde hair flew against the breeze that came in. Proof of her new power came in part from the new uniform that she wore. Her white cloak still flew freely behind her but she also bore golden armor that covered part of her chest that took the form of a phoenix. If the new look wasn't reason enough to fear her then her new Phoenix-related powers would more than make up for that.

The telepath began to slowly approach them, causing the Young Avengers to rapidly pull their guard up against her. They already knew that Emma Frost outclassed them in combat experience so they were hoping that their numbers would be enough to tire her out some.

"Well, I was hoping I could provoke you from hiding, children," mocked Emma. "Since the Avengers stole our Mutant children, I see it only fair that we take their children away from them too."

Hawkeye glared at the former White Queen, itching to release her arrow at that moment. But she knew that would only be reckless, to defeat a telepath one had to bait them on. "The Avengers didn't kidnap anybody," said Hawkeye. "Your provoked violence and the Avengers removed the children for their own safety."

Emma laughed as her body burned with psychic energy. "Oh that's hardly true, darling," said the telepath. "Believe what you want though, I'm still going to destroy you all. That will teach the Avengers a less that they'll never forget. I'm sure Captain America will beg us to end him with his memories of Bucky's death being brought to the surface."

Arrows shot across the field, heading straight for Emma's head. The arrows exploded long before then though as Emma used her telekinesis to bring the arrows together. She squinted her eyes at Hawkeye just when she noticed that somebody was missing from the four of them.

Water splashed against her back which caused a bone chilling-effect that caused her to gasp for breath. The water only grew colder when Emma began to feel a great weight against her as she realized that she had been frozen in place. Hawkeye's arrows had distracted the telepath long enough to allow Aqua to strike her from behind with water he drew from the ground.

Aqua grinned at his handy work as he nudged Hulkling to go for it.

The alien teen didn't need to be told twice as he flew off after the frozen Emma. He threw his fist forward to smash her only to be caught by surprise as Emma broke herself free.

Casting herself in diamond form, Emma used her powers to break free from the icy prison so she could snatch Hulkling in midair. Her strength increased rapidly due to the Phoenix Force powers she had within her. Her eyes burned to prove such strength as she now easily outclassed the Kree and Skrull blood that flowed through his veins.

"Let's see what I can do to that pretty head of yours, boy," Emma said as she reached out to touch Hulkling with her hand.

The closeness made it easier for her to project some suggestive thoughts. She wanted to send him a message and take control over him so that he would go after her main target. It was time that Mutantkind had their revenge at the She-Devil that ruined their lives. And the best way to do that was through her children.

Hulkling heard Emma's commands and reasoning in his mind. He also saw a burning building that Emma shown him to show just how serious she was about eliminating the children of Wanda Maximoff.

However, Hulkling refused to follow her suggestions as he used what strength he had to break her grip on him. It took a remarkable amount of will to resist Emma's mind, but he thanked his ancestry for giving him enough of a boost to resist the telepath. "I already hurt Billy once because of mind control," Hulkling said, pushing her back. "I won't let that happen again!" He became furious as he tried to hit Emma to get back at her for what she tried to make him do.

Instead, a psychic blast repelled Hulkling back towards the jammed traffic. He was too far now to be of any service to his friends.

Emma Frost, now annoyed, turned her sights onto Hawkeye and Aqua. The duo tried to come at her from both sides only to be caught by surprise as her mind attacked. Wave after wave of psychic pressure filled their thoughts. They were forced to drop to their knees and slip away before the weight of her mind.

With all of them out of the way, Emma looked over to Wiccan to see the mage barely getting back on his feet. He looked a little pale from protecting his friends from her first wave of attacks, making it all the more pleasurable for her.

"Your brother should be dead by now, just so you know," said Emma. "I want the both of you dead so to lure your whore of a mother out of hiding."

Wiccan could feel in his bones that it was hate that kept Emma running. She wasn't manipulated by The Source so he could see that she was doing this on her own freewill. The power of the Phoenix Force was just corrupting her mind in a violent way, which must have something to do with absorbing some of the fragments that came from Namor, Colossus, and Magik.

Guarding himself from her, Wiccan gathered his magical energy with hopes he wouldn't fall for her influence again. The last time was purely shameful as he remembered calling her "Auntie Emma".

All he could think about was the danger that Tommy was in. He tried to send his thoughts out to sense Tommy, but there was too much interference from the radiation that came from Emma Frost. It was annoying so he understood that he was going to have to take her out before he could find out about Tommy.

"Pray that my brother is still alive, Emma," said Wiccan, "because I'll make you regret it if he is."

"Like you're a threat to me, boy!" said Emma.

The telepath unleashed a blast of psychic energy that would easily shatter the mind of a lesser person. However, Wiccan was far more resilient than that, especially after being trained by his mother and Doctor Strange. He was able to expand his magic further then he had before in a way that took less energy out of him but also protect his thoughts from intrusion.

Wiccan barely even had to lift a finger in order to snuff out Emma's attack. Even for him that felt strange since he knew that he wasn't powerful enough to do that without a great deal of effort.

Unsure how that just happened, Emma tried to attack him again. This time though she tried rushing him in her diamond form. Burning with the powers of the Phoenix, Emma attacked Wiccan with all her might as the mage erected a barrier around himself. Her speed kept him from teleporting or flying away so he relied on a magical wall to keep himself from being injured.

The results were truly bizarre as Emma Frost was bounced back upon crashing into the wall. She gave out a lout shriek as she landed on her back as Wiccan's barrier appeared to be unaffected at all despite the power she wielded.

Annoyed and dangerously angry, Emma picked herself up from the ground with more psychic energy burning around her. She tried to attack him again with her Phoenix powers only to prove ineffective once more as Wiccan only stood still this time.

"How!" shouted Emma. "How can you be immune to my powers? You're just a kid."

Wiccan didn't have an answer for her at first, but then he felt something in the air. He felt Tommy's mind and felt like the answer was there. He looked within himself as a smile began to form across his face as he understood exactly why he was able to resist Emma Frost's powers.

"The Phoenix Force has no affect on me," said Wiccan. "I am part of the LifeForce. Attack me all you want with your Phoenix power but it's cosmic influence cannot harm the cosmic origins of my magic!" Raising his arms up, Wiccan prepared to unleash his own magic against her to show Emma how it was done. Oh, he was so ready to do this so he could finally get her back for what happened during the crusade. "Begone, White Queen! You no longer belong here. Try to fight someone you actually stand a chance against!"

Emma Frost attempted to attack him once more only to fail. Wiccan unleashed the power of his spell, hurling his magic right at her in a blazing display of red light. Her diamond skin came up as she attempted to shield herself but it wasn't enough to protect her as Wiccan's spell consumed her. But death did not claim her as Wiccan did not want to blacken his soul by such a sign.

Instead, Emma Frost was ripped away from sight, transported back to Utopia where she belonged. She was not the concern of the Young Avengers, she was a problem for the war between the Avengers and X-Men.

Dropping down to one knee, Wiccan couldn't believe he just did that. He banished the White Queen from his sight that was running on Phoenix Force power. That was by far the coolest thing he's done with his crazy LifeForce connected magic yet.

* * *

It was peaceful for them as they hid in upstate Maine. Viktor and Sasha found comfort in a cabin small enough to meet their needs, while keeping them hidden from the eyes of any unwanted onlookers. They tried to apply all the protection that they could in order to make certain that not even Supernova could find them.

Illusions and electrical traps were created in order to strengthen their defense. After hearing the truth from Jared, the couple wanted nothing more than to do with Supernova's evil agenda.

A cool breeze came in through the open windows as Viktor finished making a soup for them. He made it from ingredients that his mother used to prepare her famous soup whenever he or his siblings were ill. Stirring the pot, Viktor could remember those lost times as he turned the stone off to erase those bitter memories.

The master of illusion wanted nothing more to do with the pain of his past. He needed to focus on the present, which was hiding from Supernova and keeping this Apocalypse at bay. So long as the Phoenix passed then there would never be another chance for Supernova to unleash The Source upon the universe. Hearing a few scattered, news updates on this was the only thing that gave the couple hope that they wouldn't need to remain hidden for much longer.

Sasha came in from the other room, dressed comfortably as she took a seat at the table. The smell of the soup aroused her senses and made her stomach rumble furiously. If she didn't get some food in her soon then she was going to become very angry and violent against Viktor.

This caused an amused smirk to form as Viktor poured her a bowl. He served himself as she began to eat the perfectly cooked vegetables and chicken. The delicious flavors were savored on their tongues as they ate in comfortable silence.

Minutes passed before their bowls were cleared, ending the silent dinner that they had. Sasha offered to clean without saying a single word as Viktor started to rise from his chair to check the news today. He entered the living room, thinking back to the danger that lurked before them.

It was not easy hiding from Supernova. The darkness that cloaked the man was something beyond primal, which caused Viktor to become frightened as he thought back to how he was discovered.

Viktor never told Sasha or the others this, but Supernova had recruited him into The Organization long ago. Supernova found Viktor living with his Gypsy family in a village in Eastern Europe, drawn there by curiosity for the child that could conjure mystical beasts from his thoughts.

Viktor had been born with the ability to conjure illusions. It wasn't a mutation or magic, just a natural ability that had been with him for as long as he could remember. These illusions were always playful and innocent much like that of the mind of a child. Viktor would use his illusions to bring amusement to the people in his village and to keep his younger siblings out of trouble.

Eventually though, darkness came to his village the day that Supernova arrived. Viktor had been only sixteen at the time when he met that wicked man. Supernova had Viktor display his abilities before Nova manipulated the illusion of a Pegasus to turn it into a living beast. The monstrous Pegasus burned the village to the ground, killing everyone there including all of the members of Viktor's family.

Viktor always blamed himself for this that his powers had grown out of his control on his own fault. But after hearing the truth from Jared, Viktor realized that it was Supernova who was reasonable for the deaths of everyone in his village.

Unaware of the truth though, Viktor joined Supernova in order to learn to control his powers. Years would pass until he would be sent to find Sasha, bringing her into the fold by gaining her trust. And then came the Elemental Trio which changed everything as the truth became known.

Viktor clenched his fists as he felt his stomach tightening up into knots. He couldn't believe how he had fallen into the lie of something as vile and wicked as Supernova. He wanted to forget the pain, but the past would forever haunt him.

Turning on the television, Viktor would be thrown back against the wall as an electrical surge began to take form. Viktor collapsed to the ground with the electricity coursing through his veins. His first thought was that Sasha had done this but then he heard her scream before being thrown into the living room with him. Streams of darkness caused all of the windows inside their cabin to shatter as the nightmare returned.

Sasha turned to Viktor and he couldn't show even an ounce of confidence to her. She tried to stand but was brought down as a boot appeared before them.

Slowly, he appeared with an angry scowl burned onto his face. Supernova pushed his foot down on her chest, causing Sasha to cry out in pain as he glared at them both.

"You two made it difficult for me to find you," said Supernova. "Why would you hide from me? Are we not all friends here?"

Attempting to break free, Sasha would hit Supernova with a blast of electrical energy. Only, Supernova would appear not to be phased at all by the attack as he let out a soft sigh. He removed his boot from his chest only to kick her across the room until she landed against Viktor's body.

Viktor would place himself protectively in front of Sasha, attempting to keep the one person he left in his life safe. He knew that he stood no chance against Supernova, but that didn't mean he wouldn't at least try to fight him off. After what Supernova did to his family, Viktor knew he couldn't just give up without a fight.

Supernova sensed Viktor's determination and decided it best to break it. He released a blast of darkness from his hand to send Viktor flying against the wall as Sasha was pushed towards the opposite end of the room. The darkness soon restrained them both with Nova laughing as he felt their pain.

"It is time," said Supernova. "The Organization will be reconstituted and I need the both of you to accomplish this task. We must bring the Elemental Trio back into the fold so that the seals containing The Source will break apart."

"Why?" growled Viktor. "Why should we help you?"

Supernova grinned as he heard that question. Oh, how he always loved to hear those words from those he was torturing. "And what makes you think that I need your consent, Viktor," said Supernova. "The both of you swore an oath; you are bound to serve me until I die. Since that won't be happening anytime soon, you will do as I command or face severe consequences."

In order to prove this, Supernova unleashed the price of the oath that they were violating, causing a great deal of pain to riddle Viktor and Sasha. The pain lasted for what felt like an eternity until they both eventually submitted to him.

* * *

Bruised and exhausted, the Young Avengers returned to their headquarters after the battle against the former White Queen. She was truly powerful since the Phoenix Force had amplified her psychic powers, but that still wasn't enough to defeat the Child of Creation. Since the battle was over, they had to tell the others about what happened and the danger that they were potentially in.

Kate gave the other members of their team the details about what happened. The Vision and Cassie were present, unaware of anything that happened to their teammates until now. Not long after they finished, Landon explained the fire that they had put out which just happened to explain what Emma was talking about.

"Why would she start that fire?" asked Mulan. "I thought Magneto was the terrorist?"

Billy had to explain to her that their grandfather had since been reformed and was fighting to help Mutants without endangering humans. "Emma said that she wanted to get back at Wanda," he told them. "The main reason she came here was to put Tommy and me in enough danger that our mom would come out of hiding."

Tommy paused as he thought about what his brother had to say. He remembered the fire, remembering the strange emblem he saw in the flames before the explosion. "She tried to burn me alive," whispered Tommy. "But she failed miserably. Instead of hurting me, she only made me stronger." He then thought back to how he nearly died from the smog if Mulan hadn't gotten him out of there before it was too late.

"What do you mean?" asked The Vision.

"I don't know," said Tommy. "My powers have grown. During the fire, it was like I stopped time for a moment before I melted the flames."

"You melted fire?" said Cassie. "That doesn't seem to make sense."

"Since when has anything about Tommy and Billy made any sense?" said Eli.

They were all in an agreement about that. Billy told his brother that they could see Doctor Strange later to see if they could figure out what's up with his powers. Tommy agreed to that just as the other members of the team began to question Billy about The Source situation.

It was obvious that things with the X-Men were getting worse. Kate informed them how Emma mentioned that she would battle Cyclops for the last portion of the Phoenix Force since Colossus and Magik had lost their hold on the Phoenix against Spiderman. With that said, they all feared how that would end as Emma Frost had a dark past as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Who knew what she would try to do to humankind in attempt to restore the powers to mutantkind that the Scarlet Witch stripped them of.

"But the Phoenix is the Avengers' problem," said Samantha. "Jared said that the Phoenix was the first sign of The Source's return. We should just worry about stopping Supernova and containing The Source if possible."

"That's right," said Jared as he turned to Billy. "Did Doctor Strange give you the spell?"

Billy shook his head as he had to give the bad news. He told his friends how the spell to contain The Source had been lost now that there wasn't a Sorcerer Supreme to pass on the knowledge. It had hurt them just as much as it had hurt him when he first heard that. Billy did try to make it up to them by telling them how he was working with Doctor Strange to create a new spell.

"A spell's in the works then," said Teddy, "but we don't have the manpower to fight The Source and his super demons if it comes down to it. Chances are that we can't turn to the Avengers or any of the other heroes for help. What we need is an army to fight with us."

"Where are we gonna find that kind of army?" asked Cassie.

Teddy paused for a moment as he looked at everyone there. They all waited for him to say something when Jared raised an eyebrow to the alien teen. It only took one moment for the water-bender to think of a possible solution to the problem presented.

Jared knew exactly what Teddy had in mind. "You want to ask aliens for help," said the young mutant. "You're going to call on the Kree and the Skrull."

"What!" shouted the other Young Avengers.

"You can't be serious, Teddy," said Billy. The mage was possibly the loudest as he jumped out of his chair to throw himself at his boyfriend. He couldn't believe what it was that he was hearing. "Don't you remember the last time you had a family reunion? They killed your mom, nearly killed Eli, and tried to rip you to pieces."

Teddy could remember all of that, especially since it had affected him the most. He didn't want to deal with for the time being though as he knew the greater danger that Billy was in. "The Source is a threat that affects everyone," said Teddy. "Without help, we won't be able stop The Source from destroying the world. Besides, it's only a matter of time they find out that the Super Skrull isn't really me. The Kree and the Skrull will come here for me, forcing me to chose one way or the other."

"Do you think you're ready to face that though?" asked Kate. "The both of them will use and abuse you, Teddy. The Skrull want you to rule them and the Kree want you in their military. Considering everything that's happened with the Secret Invasion and the Kree's Invasion, do you think it's really a good idea for you to call on them for help?"

"What other choice do we have, Kate?" said Teddy. "They're the only ones strong enough to help us fight. If we can just convince them of the danger that the entire universe is in then they might be able to put their differences aside long enough for us to come up with a more permanent solution."

"Even if that means losing you forever?" said Billy.

Teddy flinched as he realized just what it was that Billy meant by that. The Skrull and the Kree fought for him once before, willing to kill him to prevent the other side from having him. The Avengers were able to create a temporary solution by having "Teddy" spend a year living with the Skrull and a year with the Kree before making his final solution. However, the Super Skrull was loyal to Teddy and used his powers to pretend to be Teddy, serving as his secret agent.

That time was coming to an end though as the Super Skrull's monthly reports becoming more desperate by the day.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," said Teddy. "I'll figure out a way to deal with the Skrull and the Kree later. Right now, The Source is our main concern."

As much as it hurt to say it, the team knew that Teddy was right. The Source was too powerful to ignore and they needed the help if they were going to stand a chance at defeating him. Even Billy felt that they had no other choice as he clenched his stomach. Teddy reached out to hold Billy's hand, trying to sooth him as the alien prince had made a difficult decision for them all.

It was the only choice that they had.

* * *

Dead asleep, Jared didn't feel as the darkness was stirring inside his bedroom in Landon's loft. He had been knocked out since their meeting thanks to the fight against Emma Frost draining him of all his strength. Its why he was vulnerable to the danger that was attempting to claim his mind, stealing him from the good that he was meant to do.

The chaotic darkness wanted its beast to come alive.

As he turned to his side, feeling almost restless as he was dead asleep. It ended tragically though as the cold woke him up. Jared felt a cold sweat dampen his skin when he finally saw the darkness that was coiling around him. Before he even had a chance to scream, the darkness swallowed him whole, taking him away from the Young Avengers' reach.

The darkness brought Jared a place of his worst nightmare. He was brought to the darkest depths of Supernova's chambers. Though he never been here, it was familiar enough to him that he understood where he was.

And just as Jared was about to resist, a burst of electrical energy coursed throughout his body. He gave out a panicked cry as he collapsed to the ground, his mind shutting down completely as he was left vulnerable to whatever it was that Supernova desired.

Standing over his body, Sasha felt shame for what she had done and she was being forced into doing. She crouched down to snatch him up by his arm, dragging him towards the circle where the dark magic was being cast. She had him, unceremoniously, thrown to the ground where he would land between the other captives, Joseph and Vanessa.

Viktor appeared beside Sasha as he looked down to their former companions. Their unspoken plan to stay away from each other to keep Supernova from bringing The Source into the world was done for. Everything was about to come to an end as another seal that contained The Source was about to be broken.

That Devil, Supernova, came out from the darkness with a smile on his face. He was dressed in his black robes, while the rest of his Organization was so casually dress that he was almost ashamed. However, he was too pleased that things were about to come back on track as the Three Beasts were about to be activated.

"Start the illusion, Viktor," growled Supernova, "as I prepare the spell."

Viktor was well aware that he had no other choice as he knelt down before the unconscious trio. He entered their weakened minds to seal away their memories, casting illusions of destruction and evil so to hide their true personas. He did everything as Supernova commanded him to do, while Sasha watched and as Supernova spoke his spell.

The words were lost to him as they were from a long, forgotten language. The tongue was harsh and made the air thick with malevolence as the dark magic began to take its desired effect.

Coils of darkness began to flood the room as the mirror that Supernova spoke to The Source through appeared before them. The glass unleashed the greatest torrent of the darkness as it found its desired targets. The darkness entered the bodies of Joseph, Vanessa, and Jared to violate them as the demonic influence began to violate every fiber of their beings.

Supernova continued to grin as the Elemental Trio were no more and the Beasts of the Apocalypse were reborn.

* * *

END! Oh yes, that is exactly where I'm gonna end it for now.

The next chapter is gonna feature a lot so don't rush me! Tommy's growing powers will be explained, the Elemental Trio become a powerful threat that cannot be contained, there will be lots of blood and tears, and everything will reach the boiling point as its time for The Source to return to the mortal universe.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: OH YES YES! Here it is, everyone. Things really go wild this time as well...do I really have to explain that? Isn't it obvious what's going to happen? Haha. So enjoy the chapter because it's almost over now. Even though I didn't get my three reviews, I figured that I'd be nice to you and post the chapter up anyways. Only a very few chapters left until it's all over! AHHHH! Yay! Now, read and review!  
**

**The Beast and His Beasts:**

_Billy wasn't happy with me and I couldn't exactly blame him. Considering the last time I had a family reunion it went less than spectacular. Hell, let's just say exactly what it was. It was a nightmare, a complete and utter nightmare!_

_But what other choice did we have? We needed to the Skrull and the Kree's help if we were to stand a chance against The Source. Their technology and experience might be what we need to turn the tide, especially since we couldn't count on the Avengers or X-Men coming to our help. We were on our own in this battle; this was the battle that was going to prove exactly what we were made out of._

_I had to be strong in every way conceivable. The Kree and the Skrull would do everything in their power to have me join them since I was so "valuable". I'm the son of the Kree warrior Captain Mar-Vell and the Skrull Princess Anelle, I meant something to both of them. The Skrull have already proven their desperation by trying to have me assassinated by a Super Skrull, but I was able to survive that attack. _

_Kl'rt was keeping me informed about everything that was happening. He told me of what's happened to the Skrull after the loss of so many of their planets. They have become true wanders, living on their starships as they struggle to find a home of their own. As for the Kree, they're hardly doing any better. Since their Supreme Intelligence was destroyed, it has caused the Kree to become scattered as they attempt to maintain order as they turn to another alien race for some assistance. _

_The Super Skrull warned me of the potential danger that awaits me no matter what side I chose. He's said numerous times that it would be safer for me to remain on Earth where I was under the protection of the Avengers. However, I couldn't do such a thing. The Source was too great of a threat and without a real spell to seal him away again then I had to do something to ensure that Billy wouldn't die._

_Calling on the Kree and Skrull for help was the only thing that I could think of. _

_After our meeting, I made the call to Kl'rt. The Super Skrull was pleased to hear from me, but he was frightened by what I had to tell him. The news of The Source troubled him and he understood the danger that was involved in a being that could destroy the entire universe. _

_What bothered me though was that he wouldn't stop calling me his prince or my full-title Prince Dorrek VIII. _

_Kl'rt didn't want to entangle any of the aliens into this, but he understood that there was no other choice. With the Avengers being distracted by the Phoenix Force, the Earth was virtually defenseless. I wasn't afraid to tell him that because I was certain of his loyalty to me. He wouldn't have protected me for so long, even though he was responsible for killing the only mother I've ever known._

_Kl'rt assured me that he would bring the best that the Kree and Skrull had to offer as soon as he could. But he warned me that I would have to make a decision about what side I would chose. I didn't have a decision in mind, but I knew that The Source and Supernova would be enough of a distraction to buy me some time. _

_I just had to remind myself that I was doing this all for Billy. I had to make sure that Billy and everyone else would survive this battle. _

* * *

The morning after their meeting, Billy left for the Sanctum Sanctorum to work with Doctor Strange on creating the spell. It was vital that they crafted the perfect spell as quickly as possible as Billy was sensing impending doom on the horizon. He hasn't had a premonition as intense as the one about the Phoenix Force and The Source, but he knew that The Source was dangerously close to returning.

Entering the building, the mage quickly made his way into the sorcerer's study. He greeted Wong before entering to discover that Doctor Strange was talking to someone else. It wasn't until he was inside that he finally saw whom it was that Doctor Strange was having a lengthy conversation with.

Doctor Strange had his back turned to Billy as the mage entered to discover Tommy sitting on the desk of the former Sorcerer Supreme. The speedster was listening intently to everything that the sorcerer had to say as he tried to understand what was going on with his powers.

Billy should've known that his brother would be here. After what happened in the apartment complex yesterday, Tommy needed guidance in order to understand what it was that was happening to him. He had no idea at all what was going on with his powers anymore so then Billy did when he discovered his magical connection to the LifeForce.

"It's good to see you, William," said Doctor Strange as he wrapped up his conversation. He turned back around with Tommy appearing to ignore his brother for a moment. "Forgive me, Thomas, but your brother and I have a spell to create." The sorcerer conjured a book along with some paper and pen so that they could resume their spell crafting.

There was brief silence as Billy and Tommy finally exchanged looks. Billy had no idea what it was that the sorcerer told Tommy, but it was obviously something that bothered him.

Billy opened the book to the entry about The Source as he attempted to forge a spell powerful enough to combat against the primordial entity. He must've written about two dozen spells by now, none of them felt like they were powerful enough to do a damn thing against The Source. Even when Billy practiced chanting them, he couldn't feel a damn thing as he said them out loud.

For the eighteenth time, Billy worked on writing another spell.

Tommy was still in the study, watching as Doctor Strange and Billy went to work. He watched as Billy mindlessly strung words together in order to create a spell powerful enough to seal The Source away should it come down to it. The speedster looked away from them for a moment before looking down to his hands.

The response was tiny sparkles of light that started to shine as when Billy casted a spell. Tommy couldn't believe it when Doctor Strange first told him the truth about his powers. Here he thought he was the only "normal" twin, but he was just as extraordinary as Billy was.

There was nothing wrong with Tommy's powers, they were just rapidly progressing in response to The Source's coming. His connection to the LifeForce wasn't as powerful as his brothers, but it was powerful enough to change him into something more. If the LifeForce weren't involved then Billy would've been a standard Chaos Mage like their mother and Tommy would've been an ordinary speedster like their uncle. However, the powers of Creation altered them to become a greater power.

Like Billy, Tommy was born with magic in his blood. That magic has laid dormant in his body until now in response to the Phoenix Force and The Source. Tommy was finally developing mystical abilities, the first sign was his molecular abilities. His ability to accelerate molecules into exploding is not a part of his mutation but a sign of magic. When he froze the fire and melted it, those were signs of his magic growing into something strong as his power of molecular acceleration advanced into molecular immobilization and molecular destabilization.

Hearing that was like a lightning bolt flashing in his head. Tommy couldn't believe what the sorcerer told him, but it oddly enough made sense. Why would Billy be the only mage in the family if Tommy had been touched by the LifeForce in the same way? His magic might not grow to be as powerful as Billy and he wasn't the Child of Creation, but magic still had sway over him.

This is why Doctor Strange began to teach Tommy basics of magic, there was nothing more dangerous than a young mage without knowledge on how to control his powers. Tommy knew that he was going to have to tell Billy and the others about this, but he just wasn't sure the best way to say it. How does somebody "come out" about being a mage?

Tommy stumbled forward as he sat down beside Billy. He looked down to the spell he was crafting, while Billy seemed unaffected at all by his brother's presence. He scanned it over and found that something was off about it.

"You shouldn't word the spell like that," said Tommy. "It sounds weak."

Figuring that his brother was being a sarcastic jerk, Billy chose to ignore him. Since his brother had no experience with magic, it wasn't like he would be of any use at all to him. "I don't need your sarcasm right now, Tommy," said Billy. "I'm too busy trying to write a spell to defeat the King of Chaos."

"Then why don't you invoke more powerful magic then," said Tommy. "Summon all forms of magic to banish this ancient power and have more than one mage read the spell with you."

At that moment, Billy and Doctor Strange immediately brought their heads up from the work that they were doing. They turned to Tommy, utterly amazed that he would come up with a solution such as that. Doctor Strange couldn't stop laughing as he told Tommy that he was brilliant as a chain of words already formed inside Billy's mind as he thanked his brother.

Tommy smirked as he looked at the new spell that Billy was beginning to work on. It was already starting to sound stronger then the last one he had written just by what he saw from the first line. "Now, if you need help with the spell," said Tommy, "I can recite it with you. I am a mage now, after all."

Billy was halfway done with the second line when he caught what Tommy just said. His eyes shot out from his skull as he dropped the pencil, turning to his brother and left unable to say a single word.

The white-haired twin only shrugged his shoulders while the dark-haired twin was left stunned.

* * *

Opening his eyes, Jared woke up with a massive headache as he stretched his way out from the comfort of his bed. His eyes felt a little tired still as he shook off the last of his sleep before turning out the window to see the sunlight that felt warm against his skin.

Last night was a blur to him. The last thing that Jared remembered was getting ready for bed so he had no idea at all why he was having such a headache this morning. He bended some water for himself as he searched for some aspirin. The pills went down his throat, causing his stomach to churn as he held his side for a moment as his body processed it.

Only that wasn't the case as Jared's body reacted negatively to the medicine. All along his spine, bumps began to run around in a way that showed that something was growing inside of him. He didn't feel this nor did he feel the demon that was sleeping with him, waiting for its chance to strike at those that dare to defy its master.

Jared might not have any memories of last night, but the events did truly happen. Sleeping inside him was a demon, one that owed its loyalty to The Source. There would come a time where this demon would awaken to attack the world. For the moment though, the demon contained itself as it drew strength from the vessel it had leeched onto.

Jared would remain blissfully unaware of this as he left his bedroom with only half of his clothes on. He went into the kitchen to see that Landon was eating lunch with Mulan. They were both chatting about something which Jared didn't pay much attention to as he served himself a plate.

Taking a bite from his bowl of cereal, Jared could only raise an eyebrow at the two of them. He was ready to speak his mind while it was still his own. "You two have been awfully chummy lately," said Jared. "What's going on? You're not starting to go out like Eli and Sam is?"

"Ew," Mulan said, gagging as she turned away.

Landon rolled his eyes at the wonderful comment that Mulan gave him. Now, he wasn't interested her in that way, especially since she was a kid, but he didn't think she had to go that far in fake vomiting. That was just rude and he would remember that the next time she asked him for a favor.

Picking herself back together, Mulan resumed eating when she noticed how offended Landon had looked. "Sorry about that," she said, calmly. "The thing is, Landon reminds me a lot like my older brother. Being around Landon…it reminds me of Shane and the rest of my family." She went silent after that, practically ignoring her food. Now she was all depressed because she had to go and thing about her dead family. Damn her for letting those emotions get the better of her.

Jared and Landon both turned away, giving her some space.

However, the demon within Jared wanted to poke at all those festering wounds. It wanted nothing more than to make this girl cry, but it wasn't powerful enough to do that just yet. Jared's will was still powerful enough to resist his call.

So it laid in wait, staying below the surface of the water.

* * *

Keeping their distance, Viktor and Sasha watched the siblings as they explored the city. There was a startling change in Joseph and Vanessa's personality as the day went by them. When they had first woken up, the Valentines' were the same as they were before the ritual. Their minds were all theirs, but the demons inside them were growing stronger now that the moment was nearly there.

Viktor was certain that a similar change was occurring with Jared as well. Their mission wasn't to focus on the water-bender, Supernova was apparently watching him. Since the water-bender was the craftier one, it only made sense that their horrible leader would be focusing on him.

Thinking about the trap that they had fallen for made their blood boil. Viktor and Sasha hated how they were dragged back into this, now forced to do such horrible things to those that they had thought of as companions. They weren't close enough to call the Valentines and Jared friends, but they weren't enemies either.

What they did though was an unforgivable act. They helped Supernova to force demons down the Elemental Trio's throats. These demons were unlike those that Supernova had summoned weeks ago though, these ones were far worse.

They were The Source's closest servants, on a level above all other demons. These demons were older than nearly the rest of demonkind.

Sasha cringed as she thought about what was going to happen soon. She knew damn well that Supernova would spring his trap on the Young Avengers in the very near future. Men like him were all the same in her eyes. She could see how his twisted brain worked, making it harder on her conscious to see what they were all being forced into doing.

It was all so horrible, but there was nothing else that they could do.

Supernova had them all where he wanted them. The Organization had been manipulated in a way to ensure that there would be no escape. Holding onto their very lives, Supernova had absolute control over everything that the members did. Not even their thoughts were safe. They had to hide all things for Supernova if they were to hold onto even a fragment of their humanity.

Viktor and Sasha looked hands together as they watched the hungry looks forming on Joseph and Vanessa's face from their reflections against a store window. They were outside a children's clothing store, which was full of kids and their parents.

Disgust was evident by the way that the siblings stood. Their bodies resisted the pull of the demons, but it was becoming harder.

It became necessary for them to intervene. Viktor and Sasha had to order the siblings to keep moving before the store became a bloody, crime scene. They would have to bring the demonic siblings back to Supernova before the demons within got too strong. They were pushing their luck at this rate so it would become necessary for them to return before things got ugly.

* * *

Beauty, it was all going to be so beautiful when the time finally came. Already were things beginning to change as the Apocalypse now loomed over everyone's heads. The cosmic forces of the universe were finally beginning to converge as the finals seals were beginning to wane.

Supernova loved just how beautiful it all was as he ventured into the darkest depths of his chambers. The echo of his footsteps vibrated against the rocky walls as he plummeted to the darkest parts in order to meet with his lord and master. There was much that needed to be said now that the three Beasts were beginning to stir from their ancient slumber. Already, the last of their vessels willpower were weakening against the demons that were clawing their way out to the surface.

Then would come the glorious change that would bring about a new age.

The mirror stood before Supernova with a violent hue of chaos energy around it. He was already enthralled by the sight in a way that neither Viktor nor Sasha could feel when they had been down here only a day before. The Source's pull was strongly felt by Supernova as he was the one who was most deeply invested into the Primordial Chaos.

Feeling The Source's hand against his soul, Supernova was burning with pride as he knelt before his master. The energy of The Source was unmistakable as it was what gave Supernova this second life in exchange for unyielding loyalty. For three hundred years, Nova has been doing everything that The Source has commanded of him to set the Chaos free upon the worlds of man.

It was three hundred long years ago that Supernova first encountered The Source.

The Source had long ago been sealed away by a Sorcerer Supreme of the past, but his influence was still widely felt. It was on another planet where Chaos thrived were Supernova would finally meet his destiny. On a planet that would be consumed by Galactus during his lifetime, Supernova found the ancient mirror that he would communicate with the Source through.

As a young man, Supernova had a gift of curiosity and a hunger for uncovering ancient artifacts. He failed to uncover anything of value until he found the mirror, buried deep in long forgotten ruins that had been built as a testimony to the Gods of Old. The mirror awakened when Supernova first touched it, causing him to feel the burning radiance and wisdom that was The Source.

As Supernova's mind crumbled before the will of The Source, the Heralds of Galactus arrived to decree the end of the world. The World-Eater arrived only days after The Source gave power to Supernova, the power to survive in the chaos and to become an entity with the strength to withstand Cosmic Forces. Supernova survived the death of his old world and was "reborn" anew as the Emissary of The Source.

Drifting off across the stars for a hundred years, Supernova would finally arrive to Earth where he would begin his work on releasing The Source and starting what would be The Organization.

Here he was now, ready to unleash The Source upon the world. The Beasts that served The Source were awakening as the Phoenix Force was devastating the balance of the world.

"My master," Supernova said, bowing before the mirror that he coveted, "it is almost time for you to walk this world once more. All shall kneel before you, master. They will cower at your feet before you erase them all from existence!"

"Yes, my servant," roared a frightful, demonic voice. "Destiny calls. The Dark Phoenix nearly here."

Supernova felt astonished as he picked his head up. He looked to the mirror, seeing the silhouette of a figure in black before him. And the voice, it was truly a sign…a miracle even. Whenever they talked before, Supernova could only hear The Source's voice in his mind.

But now…now The Source's voice was powerful enough to pierce through the dimensions.

"Oh glory be to my master!" praised Supernova. "Let it be so, let it be time for you to return!"

"It is almost time," came The Source's reply. "Hear me, Nὀvạ Ω, for my awakening is here. Go to the place where the elements converge, where my beasts are strongest. At the heart of the fire will be the final seal, you must wait until you receive the sign of the Dark Phoenix before speaking my name."

The image in the mirror faded away as the devil's voice left him.

Supernova dropped his head to the ground, offering praise to The Source while remembering his words.

* * *

Climbing down the stairs, Teddy woke up to hear the alarms blazing that morning. The alien teen was frustrated from being startled out of his sleep, especially since he was spooned up against his fiancé. He approached the central computer to find that The Vision was already there and was busy working on calculating the cause of the trouble.

The alarm had been going off for a while now which led to Billy, Tommy, and Kate to come down the stairs. Jared was also present as he had "slept" there that last night, mainly to watch over the prophecy child. Now, the rest of them saw how busy The Vision was on uncovering the trouble so they remained silent and patiently waited.

Jared bore a knowing smirk on his face as he kept to the back of the group. He knew exactly what was going on as the demon inside him had taken over his mind by now. It was at long last time for his demonic master to rise and the Young Avengers were the key that would bring about the end of the universe.

The Vision finally had it as a map of the world was pulled up on the screen. "Our scanners picked up a massive source of demonic energy in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," said the Synthazoid. "I've also picked up energy from Phoenix Force halfway across the globe. It's a colossal energy source, dangerous too."

"Why do I have a feeling that this involves Supernova?" said Billy.

Stepping out from the shadows, Jared took a stand beside Billy. The young mage didn't sense the demonic influence within the water-bender. "Because it does," responded Jared. "He's ready to make his move against us. This is our last chance to stop him before he opens the bridge for The Source to enter our world."

"And boom goes the Apocalypse," said Tommy. "That's something to look forward too."

"It is Tuesday," said Teddy.

"Call the team, Vision," said Kate. "We're going to war."

Nodding his head, The Vision did just that as he raised the alarm. He called for all of the Young Avengers to come to the base immediately as the threat of The Source loomed over their heads.

It only took about ten minutes for them all to come there. They listened as The Vision explained the energy that was converging in the Atlantic, telling them how chaos was brewing there which matched the energy signature of The Organization. That was when they all understood just how bad things were about to get as they got dressed for their last chance at preventing the end of the world.

The Young Avengers were fully dressed for war as Wiccan cast his spell to transport them to the Atlantic. They vanished from the safety of their headquarters in the city, transporting them onto an island in the middle of the ocean.

Their feet touched a sandy beach with the sound of the ocean behind them as the salty wind caressed their cheeks. It should've been refreshing for a normal person, but it wasn't in the situation that they were in. They were going into the hornets' nest without any protection at all as they saw the jungle that guarded a monstrous volcano in the horizon.

Wiccan and Speed felt a slight headache brewing as they sensed the mystical energy that was waiting for them. They knew that Supernova was there, just itching for his chance to come after them to end this.

The Young Avengers began to make their move away from the beach and into the jungle, while Aqua kept to the rear. Behind them, the ocean churned violently and boiled with his demonic energy tampering with the natural order of the sea. He was the Beast of the Sea, the Serpent of Genesis…Leviathan.

Aqua sensed them all, waiting in the jungle for their chance to strike. He waited for their single, listening to the wind until he heard the faintest echo that it was beginning.

Drawing strength from the ocean, Aqua lashed out against the Young Avengers. His voice roared with the waves coming forth in powerful streams to surely drown them all. Wiccan immediately responded by conjuring a shield with Speed augmenting his powers, while the Vision turned himself, Stature, and Turquoise Boy intangible as the wave came in.

"What the hell, Aqua!" shouted Hawkeye.

"You're a traitor!" shouted Patriot.

Aqua smirked by how pathetic they were as he brought more water in. The sea circled around him with pillars of ice beginning to pry itself away as a sign of his dominance over nature. "Aqua is gone," said the demonic influence. "All that remains is the Beast of the Sea, Leviathan. I am a servant of The Source and you've fallen for our trap."

The Young Avengers were quickly surrounded as the wind came in a violent storm. The palm trees were uprooted in an instant as the ground began to shake beneath them. Boulders were pulled away from the volcano, coming down from the sky like bombs while the water continued to churn around Aqua.

Jumping away, the Young Avengers were quickly scattered apart as Ventus and Terra entered the picture.

The earth vibrated beneath his feet as Terra's demon began to make noise. He clenched his fists together with his muscles practically bulging against his flesh. "For I am the Beast of the Earth!" he growled. "Fear me, for I am the Behemoth!"

Ventus touched the ground with wind currents brushing against her flesh. It appeared gentle at first until the wind pulled away from the last strand of hair, turning into a massacre for all the leaves on the tree. "For I am the Beast of the Wind," she said, laughing. "Fear me, for I am the Ziz."

"And we are the Beasts of the Apocalypse," said Aqua, "the messengers of The Source."

All three Beasts made their move against the Young Avengers, ready to spill the blood that needed to be spilt. It was time for The Source to walk this world once more. Their blood would be the key to bring it about, bringing the end as the chaos consumed all life.

High above them, on top of the volcano, Supernova watched the scene unfold with Deception and Volt at his side.

* * *

Everything was falling apart as they spread out. The Young Avengers were scattered all over the island, locked in combat with the Beasts. Aqua was on the ocean with Wiccan, Speed, and The Vision after him. Ventus was above the beach with Lady Falcon, Avatar, and Stature going after her. Terra was in the middle of jungle with Hulkling, Hawkeye, Turquoise Boy, and Patriot on him.

In the jungle, Terra was stomping the ground to disorient Hawkeye, Turquoise Boy, and Patriot. The vibrations of the earth were a handful, leaving Hulkling to take to the sky in order to deal with the earth-bender. Hulkling charged into Terra, using all of his strength to throw him off his game. Terra's demon fought back though and threw Hulkling off of him, throwing the alien down to the ground.

That second gave them an opening though. Patriot charged into Terra, using all of his strength to hold him back to give Hawkeye and Turquoise Boy their chance to strike. Hawkeye fired a stunning arrow, while Turquoise Boy shot a few stunning lasers from his gun. They were able to hit their target, but the demon within Terra was stronger than they had expected. He was able to shake off the stunners and threw Patriot off of him before stomping his foot to the ground. His strength tore the ground asunder, causing Hawkeye and Turquoise Boy to split apart before they were eaten by the Earth.

"I am beyond you, children," howled Terra. "I am Behemoth! I am the Earth!"

"You are toast!"

Hulkling recovered from the last attack and was back on his feet. He threw his thick fist against the back of Terra's skull with enough force that it would've popped a lesser man's head off. The power of the demon saved its vessel though, resisting the pain.

Terra spun his body around, bringing his fists together to pop the teen in the jaw. Hulkling went sailing in the air before crashing through a few palm trees. Smiling, Terra punched the ground to force the earth to rise up so that he could finish the alien. He flung them all after Hulkling, certainly able to smash him into bits.

Acting fast though, Hawkeye crouched to one knee and fired a few arrows at Terra's attack. Her arrows were able to smash the majority of the boulders apart with the explosion that it caused. She ran back as Terra attacked her next for interrupting him. He threw jagged rocks after her with Hawkeye ducking away from getting riddled with rocks.

An electrical pulse struck Terra as Turquoise Boy was on his tail. The agent struck him with his electrical armguards, hoping that from a close range that it would slow the demon down.

It didn't.

"I won't submit before men!" Terra growled as he elbowed Turquoise Boy in the face.

The agent fell to the ground, landing right behind the earth-bender who turned to attack. A foot was aimed for his chest but the agent was able to move away before he was trampled on. Blood was running down his nose though as Turquoise Boy took aim at with a gun.

"Maybe a gun might change your mind!" said Turquoise Boy.

Bullets went after him, only to fail as Terra brought earth up to protect him. He laughed at the pathetic bullets as they dropped to the ground only to have a shield get thrown in his face.

Patriot jumped back into the picture as he recovered his shield. He swung it back around to hit Terra again, only to fight resistance from the earth-bender who caught him. "You won't let hurt anyone else," said Patriot. "We're gonna stop you, even if you claim yourself to be this super powerful demon."

"I am a demon!" said Terra. "A real demon."

A sharp pain struck Terra as Hawkeye attacked with her sword. "Real demons still bleed!" said Hawkeye. "We're gonna kick your sorry ass!"

"Pathetic children," growled Terra.

The earth struck them, throwing them all back as he unleashed more of his demonic powers.

* * *

Ventus flew through the air with Avatar and Lady Falcon trying to cover her. Stature was working from the ground, fighting through the clouds of sand as she grew to a larger size. Once she was high enough, Stature threw her fist after the tiny Ventus only to get knocked off her feet by the current that the air-bender hurled after the size changer.

Avatar turned away from Ventus as she went down to save Stature from getting really hurt. She left the possessed woman up to Lady Falcon to deal with for the time being.

"I can do this!" said Lady Falcon. "I can do this!"

Swooping through the air, Lady Falcon tried to tackle Ventus in the air. She was able to fight through the air current to smash her body against Ventus to bring her down to the ground. Their combined weight was enough to throw Ventus off her balance to where they crashed into the sand with a massive cloud coming up in the process.

Meanwhile, Avatar caught Stature before she drowned herself in the ocean. She pushed the giant girl up just as Stature shrunk down to a more compact size.

"Get me in close," said Stature. "I'll see if I can get inside her head."

"That might be a little risky," said Avatar.

Stature still wanted to go in through as they caught sight of the fighting.

Lady Falcon was fighting Ventus hand-to-hand, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Ventus was rough and dirty as she used the breeze to throw Lady Falcon off her balance. The demonic influence inside of her provoked Ventus to lunge forward, punching her opponent in the abdomen. It was a sharp blow, one that caused Lady Falcon a great deal of pain.

Twisting her body around, Ventus kicked Lady Falcon down to the ground with only one hit. She was knocked out and was left on the sandy beach as Ventus kicked up a strong current.

Ascending up into the sky, Ventus went back into the air with the demon laughing inside of her. She flew up with Avatar chasing after her this time with Stature in her hands. The two of them had a plan of their own now, a revised version of Stature's old one.

Ventus turned around with the wind trapping them all into a mighty vortex. She blew a powerful breeze after them to get rid of them from her trail. Avatar protected Stature from it by covering her as she used her heightened strength to withstand the incoming cyclone. It hurt like hell as she continued to fly through but she fought as hard as she could, getting as close to Ventus as she possibly could.

"Do it, Cassie!" Avatar shouted as she met the eye of Ventus's cyclone.

With all her might, she threw Stature as hard as she could. Stature responded by growing into a giant size, pushing the wind away with her mass before flinging her gigantic fist after Ventus.

This time, Stature met the softer form of Ventus. The demon inside of Ventus felt a great pain as she crashed down into the beach once more, while Stature and her giant body stuck the landing.

Avatar flew beside the giant Stature, clinging onto her sides as she tried to recover from the last attack.

It wasn't about to end there though. Ventus soon got back on her feet with an angry scowl on her face as the wind was kicked up again.

"You girls will pay," Ventus said as the wind howled. "I am Ziz! You have no power over me."

Ventus kicked up the wind, blowing them all back as she took charge after Stature first.

* * *

It felt like a hurricane as they stormed the ocean. Wiccan and The Vision took to the sky as Speed was constantly moving as fast as he possibly could. The three of them found Aqua in the middle of it all with a whirlpool below him as he generated waves the size of skyscrapers.

The Vision saw that Aqua had the power to destroy the entire island if he so desired. He told his companions of this as he attempted to analyze a way to neutralize the greater threat. "If I superheat his tidal waves," said The Vision, "I can keep him distracted long enough for you to use a spell to disable him. The demon inside of Aqua will be too busy by repairing his shields to focus his full attention on you two."

"Be careful," Wiccan said as he enchanted his friend. He threw a magical ward around The Vision to protect the Synthazoid from any surprise attack that Aqua's demon might use against him. Wiccan then turned his attention to Speed, knowing damn well that he was going to have to get his brother away from the water or else Aqua would drown him.

Wiccan used another spell, this one to allow Speed to fly but to also compliment his superhuman speed. Speed could now run in midair, which allowed him greater mobility in this watery fight.

The twins took off for Aqua, fighting through the heart of all the water. Aqua's legs were consumed by a vortex of water that kept him high above all of the colossal waves that surrounded him. It seemed that Aqua hadn't spotted them yet or at least didn't feel that the magical twins were worthy of his full attention.

Meanwhile, The Vision worked on the sidelines to eliminate the watery threat. He fired superheated lasers from his eyes to evaporate the water. The results created a lot of hot steam, which would take Aqua some time to reconstitute into liquid form. He kept repeating this process to buy the twins more time into figuring out a more effective way to defeat the water-bender.

Aqua hurled ice from the water that kept him afloat. The jagged ice all flew towards the twins, certainly able to impale them in a single blow.

Speed raced through the ice as Wiccan conjured lightning bolts to blast them. He left his speedy twin to take on Aqua as he used his magic to stall. Speed pierced through the bulk of it when Aqua raised a large wave of water in front of him. It would've surely crushed him had Speed not used his own magic to stop Aqua.

The water erupted into a massive explosion; the content becoming droplets that soaked Speed's uniform as he pushed onward. He generated another explosion to hit Aqua, hopefully to subdue him only to fail as Aqua generated another wave of water.

"Damn!" said Speed. "I'm getting tired of splashing around here. I just want to drown this stupid punk."

"At least he's not sleeping with my boyfriend this time," Wiccan said, swooping in behind his brother. He conjured lightning bolts to stop the incoming waves before Aqua could end their lives. "I can sense the demon inside of him. It's powerful and very hungry."

"We talking Source powerful here?" asked Speed. "I'm still new to this magic thing."

"Not that powerful, but its close enough," said Wiccan.

The twins locked their hands together as Wiccan pulled them up into the air. He his free hand extended forward with a ring of blue magic forming as he tried to use a spell to stop Aqua.

A grand bolt of white light came down from the sky and would've surely ended the fight had Aqua not proven to a crafty one. The demon in him fought for survival and for blood as a hurricane took form, ripping the light apart before losing its own form in the attack.

"None shall stop me," said Aqua. "None can stop the Leviathan's hunger! Bow down before me, children, and meet your deaths!"

Aqua pulled up water, creating a serpent-like face in the middle of it as he used it to swallow Wiccan and Speed. The twins responded by casting a spell together to neutralize the water just as The Vision came through to provide more back up.

And so their fight resumed with renewed ferocity.

* * *

Supernova watched everything play out before him in a glorious fashion. The blood that stained the soil was truly beautiful as he sensed that it was nearly time to begin the ritual.

Everything was going according to plan now. Everything he had wanted was blossoming as the Young Avengers were foolishly unaware that their presence would break the seals. Innocent blood was being spilt as these young heroes fought to protect the world from evil. Their innocence, their youth, was what would allow The Source to walk free.

And with The Source's demonic servants inside unwilling hosts, it made the blood all the sweeter. So much innocence being violated by chaos and so much evil spreading that it would soon shatter the walls that kept realities separated. All dimensions would bleed into one another the moment that The Source was freed.

Then finally it came. A column of fire ascended in the horizon, taking the shape of a fiery bird that could only mean one thing. Scott Summers had absorbed the last fragment of the Phoenix Force from Emma Frost and became the Dark Phoenix.

"All the blood, it is there," laughed Supernova. "And the Dark Phoenix has risen! The time is now! The Source shall be freed to walk the world of mortals."

The volcano responded by such a declaration by the lava brewing up to the surface. The ferocious heat was warming as the elements grew violent in the wake of the battle between the Young Avengers and the former Elemental Trio.

The fourth element, the element of The Source, was ready to end all of it.

"So let it be," said Supernova. "The ritual may begin."

Volt and Deception stayed beside each other, watching as Supernova turned his back towards them. They stood on the summit of the volcano, dressed in their Organization uniforms as they felt the intense heat and the Chaos energy of this wicked man. There would soon be nothing but pain and suffering the moment that The Source was allowed to walk free.

They would be responsible for it.

They were to blame for the end of the world.

And they knew that they had to do something about it.

"We can't let this happen," said Deception. "He's done enough damage to us all."

"We end him then," said Volt. "We make him pay for all he's done!"

Volt's eyes were burning white as she gathered electrical energy from her surroundings. She absorbed all of that and hurled a chain of electricity at Supernova, hoping to end the man's life by pushing him into the volcano.

The electrical chains struck Supernova with a great deal of agony escaping his throat. Supernova never felt such power before, but the anger of a woman was not something to be ignored. He pushed his chaotic power at Volt so that she might end her foolish gambit.

His attack proved to be successful as Volt was thrown back towards the edge.

Deception howled as he conjured an illusion. The form of a mighty Pegasus appeared above Supernova as it quickly came down from the sky to trample him. The Pegasus struck Supernova with all of its might, striking the servant of The Source to his knees.

"Do you remember my friend?" yelled Deception. "You turned him against everyone I knew and loved, for that you must pay!"

The Pegasus came back around to finish off the weakened Supernova. It would only prove to be a failed attempt tough as Supernova used psychic force to grab onto Pegasus before ripping the illusion of the mighty stead apart before its master. Deception cried out from the mental pain that was brought down onto him, while Supernova gave out a frustrated roar.

"I've had enough of you two!" said Supernova. "I offered you both a second chance, but you turned it down. Now, only death will grant you mercy."

Holding his hand up, Supernova hurled a blast of chaotic energy that split itself in two. A chain of chaos took form as it tangled itself around Deception and Volt to unleash a torrent of pain down upon their souls. They both cried out in agony by Supernova's attack, but it would only prove to be the beginning of their suffering.

Supernova pulled their chains back before flinging them off the volcano. He hurled them down, smashing them down onto a trail about ten feet below them. They were left with broken bones and their "innocent" blood around them too. They were alive, but they were in a great deal of pain as Supernova looked away from them.

It was time for the ritual to truly begin.

Supernova held his hand up once more to release three chains of chaos to capture the demons within the Elemental Trio.

In the sea, Aqua was fending off a combined blast of magical energy from Wiccan and Speed. It would end when the chaos grabbed Aqua and hurled him into the sky with the sea calming down. The twins and The Vision watched as the spirit of the Leviathan was forcibly removed from Aqua's body. The mind of Jared Salvatore was restored, but it wasn't exactly a good sign as Supernova absorbed Leviathan into himself.

At the beach, Ventus fought the girls with all her windy might. She formed an eagle made from the wind itself and hurled it after them to tear them all to pieces. The wind would die out to nothing though once the chaos chain grabbed her as well. Ventus cried out in pain as the spirit of the Ziz was extracted, leaving Vanessa Valentine behind. Supernova would absorb Ziz as well, leaving behind only one.

In the jungle, Terra was surrounded by his opponents. He attempted to fend them off by slamming his fists to the ground to generate an earthquake. Before the quake could spread though, the chaos chains struck Terra from the back with the spirit of the Behemoth pulled free despite inhumane scream that came from his throat. Supernova began to absorb Behemoth just as he had done to the others beasts.

The three Beasts swam within his being, bringing a great deal of joy to Supernova as he felt true power for the first time. Contained within him was a power that was nearly as great as his master's power, and he would use that to free The Source from his prison.

* * *

They had to do everything that they could to stop Supernova, but time was not on their side as they ascended the volcano. The Young Avengers came together with their former enemies joining them in the wake of their moment of insanity. All of that was ignored for the time being as the focus was stopping Supernova before it was too late.

Deception and Volt had already been badly beaten by taking Supernova head on so the rest of them were going to have to fight differently. This time though, there would be a greater amount of numbers to back them up in this fight. The Young Avengers had the full Elemental Trio to support them in the endeavor to defeat Supernova.

This was going to be their last chance to prevent the inevitable Apocalypse.

Supernova stood at the top of the volcano with his arms stretched out. The demonic energies he absorbed from the Beasts gave him a power that he never imagined to be possible. It surpassed the gifts that The Source had already bestowed upon him, but it was only natural. Demons were able to withstand a greater deal of The Source's raw power; while Supernova's human form bore many limitations.

That would all change soon though. Supernova knew that it was time for the ritual to truly begin as he slit both of his wrists with just his nails.

"Blood of the servant, fall into the pit," chanted Supernova.

Hulkling and Avatar were on Supernova first with The Vision and Lady Falcon not too far behind. The two superhumans attempted to punch Supernova into the volcano only to fail as a shield came up to protect him. It was strong enough to send them back down just as The Vision lasers from his eyes and Lady Falcon threw explosives at him. Their attacks proved inefficient as well as they were both struck down.

Aqua bended water from a nearby stream up the volcano and lashed at Supernova with it. The water touched the shield, proving to be weak as well. Terra came up behind him, hurling a boulder after Supernova while Ventus unleashed a vortex after the man as well. Their attacks touched the shield, not fairing any better than their companion as they too were attacked by Supernova's power.

Pouring more blood from his wrists, Supernova's eyes began to glow red. It was the first sign that the last of the seals was beginning to break. "Blood of the monsters, flow free," chanted the alien. "Flow free to feed your master."

Stature grew and brought her giant hands together. However, Supernova's shield electrified her to the point of shrinking to nearly a microscopic size. She was falling down fast as Wiccan caught her, while Patriot and Turquoise Boy reached the summit with Hawkeye not too far behind. Turquoise Boy fired a few rounds from his gun as Hawkeye fired a couple of arrows. The explosion was large, but it did nothing to Supernova. Patriot came charging forward, pushing through the force field with his shield. It failed too though as Supernova hurled a force of energy to knock the three of them down.

Wiccan left Stature with the rest of their friends as he and Speed raced to the top. The magical twins reached the summit just as Supernova brought more blood up from the jungle. It was there that the last barrier that protected the reality from The Source would crumble to nothing.

"And the blood of the innocent, drink it all," chanted The Source. "For the blood of the young will grant you renewed life. May you rise and may you live eternal."

"No!" shouted the twins.

Wiccan held his hand forward to release his magic against Supernova. Speed helped as he placed his hand on Wiccan's shoulder so that his brother could draw his strength. It was done, Wiccan pulled Speed's magic to increase his own. The twins released a blast of magic against Supernova that shattered the barrier, but failed to destroy the villain on time.

Supernova's body was violated by the Creation Magic. The powers that Wiccan and Speed wielded was enough to cause Supernova to learn the true meaning of pain, but it still wasn't enough.

The blood had reached the volcano. All the walls began to fall as Supernova was lost in the daze of the ritual he cast.

"Beautiful," whispered Supernova. "My debt is repaid to you, lord. I have done all that you have asked of me, now grant me your blessing."

Lava rose up from the volcano, ascended up to the sky to touch the cosmos itself. Supernova laughed as he saw it unfold while the twins were terrified by what they saw. The lava didn't rain down on them, but it was burning the last of the seals to bring about the return of The Source of All Chaos.

Supernova fell forward into the lava, losing himself to The Source's radiance. His body was absorbed into the flames, not burned, not destroyed…assimilated for he was a shell. The man was no more, but the body would be used by a god to bring about death and destruction.

Wiccan and Speed fell to their knees, screaming by the overwhelming amount of power that they felt. It was raw, unfiltered, and unstoppable chaos that was angry at them all.

The lava burned the heavens itself, causing the sky to bleed red as the first sign of the end was appearing. The sky bleed and left behind pain in all the hearts of man as his return was finally upon them.

After what felt like ages, the lava ceased the flow.

The sky continued to bleed though.

And there was a new figure on the rim of the volcano.

Standing there was the purest form of chaos. It was Chaos that looked them in the eye, the being known as Supernova was gone from reality now. The figure stood there dressed in black robes with raw power emanating from the aura he let out. That was only the beginning of his power though, not even close to reaching his full potential.

"I am here," said the new figure. His voice was deep and frightening, full of an unspeakable power. It was full of billions of years of suffering that which only a creature of eternity could possibly ever know. "I am the Chaos, I am The Source."

Wiccan and Speed picked their heads up, fearing the being that stood before them. They didn't even need to hear the figure declare himself, but it was more for his benefit then theirs. He wanted to hear his voice; he wanted himself to be known.

But most importantly, The Source wanted the boys to know the true meaning of fear.

They didn't want to give in though. Wiccan and Speed joined hands once more as their hearts pounded against their chests as the felt The Source looking them in the eye. They summoned their magic with Wiccan doing all that he could to channel it properly before The Source could regain too much power.

Wiccan released a tide of magical energy in the form of a focused blast of white light.

The Source felt the power and found it laughable as he stood perfectly still. With all the power that the twins had together, it still wouldn't be enough to harm him. Their attack met The Source only to be repelled by a wall of chaos energy that The Source didn't even have to budge an inch to create.

This came as a shock to the twins as they couldn't believe he was so powerful already. They couldn't believe how easy it was for The Source to stop their attack, which helped to instill some of the fear that he wanted to be seen.

"It can't be possible," said Wiccan. "How can…how can he be so powerful?"

Fire rained down from the sky, crashing into the ocean all around them. The Source's presence disrupted the order of the world as he plummeted it down into the chaos.

"We can't give in!" shouted Speed. "We just need more power."

The Source watched as the other twin raised his hand up to apply more magic into their attack. It was pointless, but amusing though. This simple action caused multiple lightning bolts to come down from the sky that would attempt to breach The Source's wall.

Reckless boys, but brave though.

The Source decided to end this game though as he felt it pointless to continue this way. He raised one arm up into the air, remaining silent and still to draw out the moment. Wiccan and Speed's faces were full of fear, causing The Source to smile from underneath his hood as he brought his arm down.

A force of mystic energy broke through their spell. The Source's wall came down, but the force that he released was greater than the twins could've imagined. It completely destroyed their spell and broke their concentration as The Source's attack struck them down. The twins were thrown from the summit, unable to speak or think as they crashed near their friends.

Broken and thoughtless, the twins were out of the game.

Hulkling clenched his fists as he looked up to the volcano top to see The Source still there. He called for the Young Avengers to attack. They all began to make their way up to volcano with Terra and Ventus joining them while Deception and Volt had healed enough to watch over the twins.

The young heroes would be making their move, while The Source watched from the top.

"Pathetic children," said The Source. "Why must you test my power? There is no point in continuing this charade. Embrace the Chaos; allow it to consume you for all you're worth!"

The Source swung his arm down again, this time completely devastating his foes. Raw energy tore the volcano apart, blasting the Young Avengers and Elemental Trio with all of its might. Lava spewed up from the top of the volcano with The Source absorbing all of that natural energy in the process as he pushed the Young Avengers and former Organization members down to the beach.

Chaos spread throughout the island as the Young Avengers and Organization had been defeated in a single blow. All of them were unable to move and barely able to breathe as lava ascended up to the sky. The wind howled, the ground trembled, and the sea churned. It was the Earth's way of trembling in fear before The Source and all of his might.

The Source left them, consumed by hot flames as he left them to embrace their pain.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: So like I haven't been getting my three reviews, y'all! I'm a little disappointed, but I still love you. After this chapter, there are only three chapters left so I would appreciate your inputs. Now, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Read and review!  
**

**Final Rest:**

_Everything was hurting like hell. It felt like an eternity before I was able to move, my body was dying after Billy and I took that direct hit from The Source. Fuck, was he powerful! I…I never wanted to crap my pants so bad before in my life. Not even when we were fighting that crazy ass Kree guy during the Civil War. _

_I coughed up some blood, noticing that the others had similar reactions. Were all beaten and broken after a shameful loss at the hands of The Source. Who would blame us though? We were fighting a being that was stronger than the Phoenix, Galactus, the Beyonder, and every primordial entity in the new universe. _

_There were so much crying amongst us as we tried to get up on our feet. I let out a painful groan that matched what Billy had let out in volume. We tried to regroup with the others, trying hard to figure out something on what to do about The Source._

"_How about some healing here, Billy?" said Eli. "Can you cast a spell?"_

_Billy pulled himself forward with his headband half torn off. "I can try," said my brother. "I'll need some help though. Do you think you can help me, Tommy?"_

_And that's how I got dragged into it. I wanted to be healed too so if magic helped then I was more than willing to back him up. I took his hand and the two of cast a spell together that created a massive wave of green energy to spread out all around us._

_My body was practically singing as my headache melted away. Thank God for magic. _

* * *

After their painful loss, Billy teleported them all back to their headquarters. The Young Avengers regrouped with the former Organization members now that Supernova had pretty much been swallowed by The Source. That was one of the topics that they needed to discuss as they tried to figure out how they were going to deal with The Source now that he was back.

Supernova was gone, which meant that there was one less villain out there to worry about. However, they now had to focus on The Source and the super demons that he would be very likely to summon to fight. They had to figure out what they were going to do about that since they were on their own in all of this.

They all sat around each other, listening to Viktor and Sasha as they explained what Supernova had them do. The Young Avengers and the trio wanted to know just what happened during the fight. Viktor informed them how Supernova summoned the strongest of The Source's demons from the Underworld to infect the Elemental Trio with their powers. Viktor had to lock out their minds in order for the Beasts to quickly take control over their vessels. Sasha then filled them in from there that Supernova needed to devour their fully formed demonic energies in order to shatter the final seal.

But neither one of them knew about the blood of the innocent portion of the ritual. It was a setup for all of them. Supernova knew that the duo would turn against him, but he needed as much innocent blood as possible to break the final seal that kept The Source contained.

"Well that fucking sucks," said Mulan. "Now the biggest evil in the entire universe is walking free and wants to destroy everything."

"And all we got out of the bargain were our former enemies working with us," said Tommy. "This is certainly lame."

Kate tried asking Billy about the spell that he had been working on to defeat The Source. Billy sighed as he conjured a piece of paper in front of them all which bore lines of words stringed together. "I have a spell but not enough power to back it up," said Billy. "I don't see how I can defeat The Source even if I am the Child of Creation. I barely had enough magical power to strip Doctor Doom of control over the LifeForce. How can I stop a god?"

Eli started to but in since they had all heard how Tommy had developed magical powers of his own. "Why doesn't Tommy back you up then?" asked the older teen. "You were able to hurt Supernova when you pulled your powers together. What if you do it again but just gathering more magic users to help you out?"

"Like who?" Landon said, interrupting Eli. "All the other magic users on the planet are in the middle of a war. Did you forget about the war between the Avengers and X-Men?"

"You can't turn to Doctor Strange?" asked Samantha.

"He's tangled up in the war too," said Billy. "His astral form has been helping me lately, but the Phoenix Five was too powerful for him to maintain it any longer. We're on our own."

"I'm afraid we truly are," said The Vision as he called for their attention.

The Vision brought everyone to the main computer where he pulled up a satellite image that he claimed that they would all be interested in seeing. They witnessed a massive stream of fire ascending up to the sky before taking the form of a bird. Its wings spread wide, creating devastating affect that left Billy frozen still as everyone else tried to understand what they were seeing.

It was Cassie who pointed it all out when she saw people on the ground. "That's the Phoenix Force," she said, softly. "It must be whole again."

"Yes," said The Vision. "Our computers picked this up while we were fighting. The Phoenix Force was restored to its full power just moments before The Source was freed."

"So the two were connected after all," said Teddy.

The images they were watching continued to play before them. It showed Cyclops being consumed in a series of flames before he changed form once more. He was no longer an X-Man or a member of the Phoenix Five, he was the Phoenix. He was part of the fire that brought about life and death. There was nothing left of his old mind as he turned his attention onto the Avengers and the X-Men.

"Nova said that the arrival of the Dark Phoenix was the final sign," said Viktor.

"It was the moment when The Source could be freed," said Sasha.

They all were silent as the feed suddenly died when Wanda Maximoff went after the Dark Phoenix, joined by some red-headed girl. They could only assume that was the famous Hope Summer, the Mutant Messiah who was the true Vessel of the Phoenix Force.

They all wanted to know more about this, but without a connection there was nothing more that they could do. The fate of the battle would remain a mystery to them until they heard from the Avengers or if the Dark Phoenix joined forces with The Source.

"God, I pray that doesn't happen," said Jared.

"Yeah," said Joseph, "if we have to fight the Phoenix Force too then we might as well give up."

"Oh yeah," said Vanessa, "because going to war with the Primordial God of Chaos isn't frightening enough."

None of them could disagree with her about all of this. The Source had already proven that he could crush them all in a single blow. There was no sense in taking him on directly so they had to figure out a way to limit The Source's powers by any means necessary.

A spell existed to banish The Source, but they had no idea at all to go about executing it. And they were all locked away in a silent depression as they waited for the eureka moment to come about to save their life. At least that was until they heard something violently loud going off above their heads.

It caused the building to shake, leading them to fear that The Source was coming to get them. But the noise only got louder, sounding like a jet engine roaring to life above them.

Half of them fell to the ground as the building shook from the pressure. Bright lights could be spotted from the windows, leading the Young Avengers to reach only one conclusion.

The Kree and Skrull had finally arrived. They finally had their army to fight The Source with.

* * *

Two starships descended down from the sky of New York in the middle of two Apocalypses. The Young Avengers made it to their roof to see the ships and were marveled by the size of them as they recognized the Kree and Skrull architecture behind them. It was clear that they got Teddy's message, but if the aliens would respond positively to it was another story.

There was no point in Teddy hiding himself. He knew that Kl'rt had to have revealed himself in order to convince the two races to come all the way to Earth. He stayed close to his friends though who were all ready for battle even despite the injuries that were still recovering from the battle against The Source.

One could only hope that the aliens would listen to them without having to resort to violence.

Flickers of light appeared on the rooftop as several bodies appeared before the Young Avengers. From what they could tell there were a dozen members from the Kree and Skrull present. The Kree were all in their green and white uniforms with their blue skin hidden behind their helmets as the Skrull stood with part of their green and rough skin exposed in their purple and black uniforms. At least they weren't horribly outnumbered but it left the Young Avengers to wonder how many more were inside the starships.

Teddy attempted to swallow that fear as he stepped forward to truly reveal himself. This action was followed by the Super Skrull, Kl'rt, stepping away from the two races. The Kree and Skrull did not seem pleased at all by the ruse that they had foolishly fallen for.

Stepping forward, the Super Skrull stopped walking once he was in front of Teddy. Kl'rt dropped to one knee, bowing before his prince and true heir to the Skrull throne. "I have done as you've asked of me, Prince Dorrek," said Kl'rt. "I have brought the strongest of the Skrull and the Kree to Earth. I still do not think it wise though for you to involve us in these affairs. They will force you to choose."

"Enough, Kl'rt!" howled one of the Skrull. He was the obvious leader of the Skrull as he spoke loudly. He broke away from the pack, his green skin and rough features radiating against the moonlight as he stood forward in his purple and black uniform. "Tell us, hatchling, whom do you side with! It has been two years; we demand to know which of us will it be."

A member of the Kree stood forward and joined the Skrull in the discussion. His eyes radiated with anger at being beside such a lowly creature, but the Kree needed an answer. "Yes," said the leader of the Kree, "we would like an answer as well, Son of Mar-Vell. Will you side with your father's people or the people of your mother?"

"I have no side," Teddy said, boldly. "I do not want to be a part of this tug-of-war between you." He knew that wouldn't be a good enough response and would likely to get him killed. The Super Skrull had already jumped to defend Teddy as the Kree and Skrull looked as if they would turn violent. "But I have made a decision about what I will do, I will give you my response after you help us though. The Source is of greater concern."

The Skrull and the Kree laughed at this.

"Your Earthling problems are of no concern of ours," said a Skrull.

Ignoring Teddy's pleas to stay out of this, Billy immediately jumped forward to face the Kree and the Skrull. He had about enough of these aliens pushing his boyfriend around. "But they are!" said Billy. "The Source is the primordial source of chaos in the universe. He is beyond any other being that our races have come across. He holds a power that will destroy the universe, which he desperately wants to use. If we cannot defeat The Source on Earth then he will wipe out all life from existence, including the Kree and the Skrull Empires."

Neither of the alien races liked that. They had both suffered from primordial entities in the past; their empires had been devastated multiple occasions. Neither the Skrull nor the Kree were in a position in which they could last against an ancient power, especially one as powerful as The Source. If what the Halfling and his precious mage said were true then maybe they should be more open to listening.

All of the Kree and Skrull felt like this as they told the Young Avengers to explain The Source to them. So that was what they did as they spent a long time answering the questions that the Kree and the Skrull had.

It all led to Billy revealing that he had a spell that could defeat The Source, but they didn't have the means to accomplish this task. With the Avengers and the X-Men unable to help them, the Young Avengers had no other choice but to turn to the Kree and the Skrull for assistance. Teddy desperately pleaded with them both to help them in this battle, promising that he would honor oath to choose whether his destiny lied with the Kree or the Skrull.

"Fine," said the Kree and Skrull leaders.

The Super Skrull sighed, relieved that his prince was saved for the moment. The Kree and the Skrull agreed to fight alongside the Young Avengers in order to defeat The Source. As they left, Kl'rt remained behind as he turned to his prince.

"You know what they will do to you?" said Kl'rt. "The Kree will experiment on you, but the Skrull will only see you as a weapon. It is not a safe situation for you either way and I will not be able to protect you."

Teddy nodded his head as he understood this. Even his friends were trying to find a way that they could free Teddy from this fate, but there was nothing else that could be done. "I will now allow myself to be exploited," said Teddy. "My father was Captain Marvel and my mother was Princess Anelle, I am capable of following them in greatness. I can do what nobody ever dreamed was possible."

"What is that, my prince?" asked Kl'rt.

"I can bring them peace," Teddy said, simply. "My parents conceived me out of love…I am living proof that the Kree and Skrull might be able to find peace."

Kl'rt couldn't believe what he heard and neither did his friends. If the Kree and the Skrull had heard this then they might've attacked Teddy for such heresy. What Teddy proposed was something that never lasted between the two races. The Skrull and the Kree were doomed to an endless cycle of fighting, leading to countless generations to be lost in the conflict.

Even attempting to propose peace seemed inconceivable. Kl'rt wished though that it would be possible, to end all of the fighting.

"You are naïve, kid," said a new voice.

The Young Avengers, Organization members, and Kl'rt were on high alert as they turned around. They spotted a new figure on the rooftop who was dressed in a uniform that was very familiar to them. His face was familiar too as it looked like a dangerous cross between Tommy and Pierto Maximoff.

He was a young man, hardly any older than Eli. His skin was pale and he had wavy, white hair that followed in the breeze. He stood there dressed in a white and green bodysuit that was short-sleeved and ended at his knees with yellow armguards on as well. He was smaller than Teddy was in terms of muscle, but he was probably just as strong as Teddy and Mulan were. The only difference was that he was all Kree.

The warrior known as both Noh-Varr and Marvel Boy had made himself known. Even after being banished from Earth from betraying the Young Avengers and hated by the Kree Empire for attacking the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire, here he was. The Young Avengers didn't like having such a powerful being around them who had once also carried the title of Captain Marvel, something that Teddy really hated as he looked at the older alien's face.

Noh-Varr kept walking forward, noticing that the Kree and Skrull ships were still present. He would surely be killed by them if it came down to it, but he had his own card to throw into the gauntlet before then. "If you want peace then you're gonna have to fight for it," said Noh-Varr. "You'll die though; the Kree and the Skrull are stubborn. This Source will be the least of your concerns if they have their way with you."

"Says the idiot who is on their Most Wanted list," said Billy as he still had a grudge against the former Kree soldier. Noh-Varr had badly injured Billy which led to him, Teddy, and two of the Runaways being locked away in the Cube were they were horribly experimented on. It wasn't a pleasant memory nor one of Billy's greatest moments as he physically tried to wish the Warden dead.

"I'm hardly any better; I know that," said Noh-Varr, "but your boyfriend doesn't stand a chance without power and lots of bodyguards. The Avengers are already on his side, but he still needs more. He's gonna need help from the Kree and the Skrull who favor him for the right reasons."

Kate tried to see where he was going with this. They were all lost, but she was beginning to piece it together as she lowered her bow. "Teddy already has the Super Skrull and some other members of the Skrull on his side," she told Noh-Varr. "Those who favor what Captain Mar-Vell did will side with him as well, but what about you, Noh-Varr? Do you wish to be on Teddy's side? Do you think he'll save your life even after what you've done?"

Seeing the truth now, Teddy stepped forward but Billy and Kl'rt weren't abandoning him as he approached Noh-Varr. "Is that what you want?" said Teddy. "You want me to save you?"

"That's partly why I came out of hiding," said Noh-Varr, "but I'm not an idiot. I know how important it is for all the fighting to end. I grew tired of being a mindless soldier; I have grown to love the Earth and all its people too. I wish to do something greater to protect it and I believe that you're the only one who can do this so give me a chance. Let me fight with you against The Source if that will prove how sincere I am."

"He would be a powerful ally," said The Vision.

"A dangerous one though," added Cassie. "He beat us and the Runaways in less than ten minutes."

"It's your call, man," said Tommy.

They all remained silent, giving Teddy some time to think. He knew that Noh-Varr was right about all the things he said about the Kree and the Skrull. If he was going to accomplish bringing peace then he was going to need powerful allies. The Avengers and his friends weren't enough to do something that great. He needed people within the Kree and the Skrull to make such a miracle happen.

As much as he hated this, he decided to give Noh-Varr a chance. Teddy accepted Noh-Varr's offer to serve him but informed the Kree teen that Kl'rt would be his superior. This caused the Super Skrull to smile while Marvel Boy only groaned with disgust but took agreed to the conditions.

With that done, the Young Avengers decided that it was time to say their farewells before the final battle could begin.

* * *

Everything was obliterated in an instant as his feet touched their old lair. Raw chaos shattered and totaled every bit of The Organization's home as he descended down Supernova's chambers. The walls screamed and bled with every step that The Source took, venturing further into the darkness until he found the mirror that once served as his only form of communication to this universe.

The Source ran his cold hands against the ornate craftsmanship that went to forging the mirror. He still remembered all the labor that he had put into it, the Chaos that he had poured to forge it just moments before that Sorcerer Supreme stripped him from the universe. If there was one thing he hated more than stability and order, it was those who carried the title of Sorcerer Supreme.

There was a mixed blessing that came with there no longer being a Sorcerer Supreme in this realm. It was beautiful, but it angered him that he was denied the privilege of ripping out a sorcerer's throat out with his bare hands. So there was the next best thing by killing the Child of Creation that carried the magical ability to defeat him.

"All I want is to make all things bleed," said The Source. "But I am denied the greatest pleasure by being unable to kill the Sorcerer Supreme. I could go after the failed one, but where is the fun in that if he can't put up a fight?" The Source started to walk around his old mirror with a pale hand touching his face underneath his hood. "What about all the mages of the world? I could hunt them down and rip their organs out one by one."

The Source laughed as he thought about that idea. The taste of magical blood was truly marvelous; he knew that since he recently tasted the innocent blood spilt by the Child of Creation and his brother. Those two were once part of his side, part of the Chaos, but then their meddlesome mother had to turn to Creation to save them. He could've used her to bring him back into this world sooner, but by turning to the LifeForce, she had denied him such a pleasure.

Not that it bothered him. He had what he wanted now and that was his freedom. He was free to walk the world once more, to bring about all of the pain and suffering that he so loved.

Cold fingers touched the glass as The Source knew that he needed to move things along. He was willing to give the Young Avengers some time to pull themselves back together. He might be the Devil, but he was not as mean as people claimed him to be. He wanted the young heroes to be at their best because that's what made killing his foes that much sweeter. When they thought that they had the most hope, The Source loved to crush it all in a single blow.

The mirror responded to his anger. It surrendered to him, allowing the strength that The Source had poured into it to be restored to its proper owner. Power began to course throughout his body, restoring his chaotic energy back to its full strength.

"Foolish children," laughed The Source. "You have walked into the inferno. I wasn't even at half of my strength when we met, but now my full power has been restored."

The Source hasn't felt this much power in thousands of years. He felt simply glorious now that his powers had been fully restored. There were no longer any aches in his body and his mind felt perfectly clear now.

"And I shall only grow stronger once I find a seat of power," said The Source. "I want true power so I will need to turn to a holy land."

The Source already had a place in mind to go to as he was once more consumed in flames. The primordial being sought the power where the three faiths converged. It was there that the final battle would be fought; it was there that destiny would unfold itself as The Source wasted the universe away into a single speck.

* * *

It was their final night of peace; they all knew that they only had this last chance before they took on The Source again. The only good thing was that they had the Kree and Skrull joining them in battle.

So they all split apart to spend their final night alone with those that they loved.

Cassie went home, bringing The Vision with her to meet her family. She still hasn't been able to contact her father since coming back, but the others had to explain that Scott Lang dropped himself from the grid after her death. He was now the hardest man on the planet to find, his grief was the only thing that kept him alive. So Cassie just had to make do with her mother and stepfather.

It was good enough though for the time being. She was happy to be with them as her mother brought all the food to the dinner table. Everything that her mom cooked looked so delicious that she just couldn't wait until she got to scarf her face with all of it.

Her stepfather behaved with The Vision though, which came as a surprise to her. She knew that he was getting better about the superhero thing, but she didn't expect him to be okay with her dating someone who was basically an android. She had to applaud him for all the personal growth he had made since she's been…away.

The taste of the food was better than the smell. Cassie ate nearly everything there, while her parents barely touched their food. They were worried about her since while she ate, The Vision filled them in about everything that was happening.

The Vision wanted them to understand what was happening in case something awful happened again.

"Do you promise to be careful?" asked her mother. "I don't want to lose you again, Cassie."

Closing her eyes, Cassie held her head down as she understood her mother's pain. She didn't want to have to die again if she could prevent it. "Don't worry about me, mom," Cassie said, trying to be an optimist. "I won't die this time around. The Source could care less about me, he wants Billy dead."

"Oh," her mother said, unsure where to go with this now.

"Is there anything that can be done to help you?" asked her stepdad. "There aren't any heroes left who could help you?"

"Everything is too tangled up in the war between the Avengers and X-Men," said The Vision. "We were fortunate enough that Teddy could get the Kree and Skrull to help us."

And it was sad to think that way. Having to rely on aliens to save their lives didn't seem a very thrilling alternative since these aliens had tried to take over the Earth more than once.

So they kept silent for the moment, returning to what was left of dinner as they tried to enjoy the time that they had left together

* * *

Landon still wasn't sure how Mulan convinced him to actually go through with this. He had to use his S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance in order to do this, but he couldn't deny that this was something he always wanted to do.

They were racing. Mulan wanted to see who was faster, her or a jet plane. Landon was using the fastest jet in S.H.I.E.L.D. to take on Mulan's altered Kree DNA, and so far she was winning. No matter what Landon did to try and outdo her, Mulan would pick up some random speed to outrace him at every turn.

They've been going at it for over an hour now. Landon had to tell his friend that he was running low on fuel and needed to return to the helicarrier before he crashed. As much as she hated the idea, Mulan followed his lead on turning back. She did make it another race though as she flew ahead of him even as Landon spiraled the jet around to pick up some speed.

Mulan was the first to land onboard the helicarrier with a massive laugh escaping her. She danced all along the deck as Landon landed the jet so that it could be serviced. She was still going at it even after the agent had gotten out of the plane and cleaned himself up.

"Do you never get tired?"

Still dancing, Mulan ignored him at first before she finally threw some jazz hands at him. A smile graced the girl's face, leading Landon to only roll his eyes. "I'm never tired when I win a race!" she said, cheerfully. "Now, get another jet so we can go at it again. I want to keep this thing going because I want to keep racing until the world ends."

Landon rolled his eyes at her wonderful competing mechanism. The agent ignored all of the victory cheers she had for herself as he made his way inside the helicarrier. But before he could even make it to the door, Mulan got a hold of him.

In an instant, he was whisked off the airship and was in the air. Mulan laughed uncontrollably as Landon demanded that she put him down. She ignored all of that as she brought them over to the beach where a crowd had gathered for a big bonfire.

He felt nauseated from the landing as he stumbled around, while Mulan ran off to the party. Landon tried to call after her, but he decided to just give up on her. This whole pretending to be her big brother thing was dangerous for his health. He tried to be nice but it wasn't worth it so he just gave up and crashed out on the sand.

All of this went on as Mulan went off to the party, enjoying what little time she had left on Earth if The Source had his way. She just had to believe that they would make it through all of this. Even Landon had similar thoughts in mind as he started to sleep as he heard the sound of ocean and wasn't worrying about being attacked.

* * *

"Triple word score!" cheered Eli's grandmother.

Eli threw his arms in the air as he leaned back against his chair. He couldn't believe what was going on in this bogus game. "You've got to be kidding me!" he said to his grandmother. "You have to be cheating. There is no way you can keep on getting triple word scores."

Smiling at her grandson, she could only hum softly in praise of herself. Her husband found it equally amusing as he placed his hands on her shoulder. "Only because you said so, dear," she said, kissing her husband's forehead. "I'll go easy on the poor boy. It's not his fault that he doesn't know how to play Scrabble with the big dogs."

"Oh!" laughed Samantha. "That's a challenge right there. Your grandma is punking you out, Eli."

That didn't help him much as Eli had to glare at his girlfriend, grandmother, and grandfather for all turning against him. He had no idea why he even agreed to play Scrabble when he hated the damn game so much. It was a pain in the ass and he always got the worst pieces in the game, leaving him unable to make any halfway decent words.

But then he remembered why he was here as he briefly looked out the window. There was still red in the sky even as the moon hovered above them. His grandparents loved to play Scrabble on Sunday nights. Since this might very well be his last Sunday night with them, Eli knew that he had to make it as normal as possible for him. He wanted to enjoy this little bit of time he had left with his family even if it was doing something he hated.

As for Samantha, she had no other family to turn to. Her father was tangled up in the war with the Avengers and the X-Men. She had heard from The Vision that her father had been injured in a battle against the Phoenix Five and was in recovery along with most of the other Avengers. She knew that he had signed up for such danger just as she had done by becoming a Young Avenger and getting tangled up in this Source mess.

But she still wished she could've spent this night with her father. Being with her boyfriend's family was the next best thing, especially since she was watching him lose at a game of Scrabble.

Even as smart as he was, Eli just couldn't understand the concept of winning a Scrabble game.

Samantha knew how to put him out of his misery though. It was her turn now and she had just the right letters for the job. "Misery!" she said, smiling at Eli. "I got a double word score. I might be as good as your grandma, but I can still kick your butt."

"I give up," Eli said, throwing his pieces up in the air.

Screw spending the night getting his ass kicked at a Scrabble game. He was going to get his ass kicked tomorrow by The Source of All Evil, why should he endure this suffering at home?

He decided to leave the table and took off to watch some TV even as his grandmother and Samantha yelled at him to comeback. They shouted "Come back here, baby" or "We'll take it easy on you, Eli". As for his grandfather, well, he was chuckling under his breath as he took his turn to spell out the words Patriot."

* * *

Dinner became silent after she had revealed her secret to them. Kate waited patiently for her family to say anything, but they didn't say a word after she told them about being Hawkeye. At first, they tried to deny this since she wasn't male; she had to remind them of the female Hawkeye that was part of the Young Avengers.

Kate's secret was out in the open now though. Her father and sister just had to figure out how to process this, especially since she had to explain to them about the situation with The Source. There wasn't exactly a good way to say this so she just blurted it out after she brought them all to her father's penthouse.

"You're worse than your mother was," her father, Derek Bishop, finally blurted out. He pushed his plate away with his hands shaking as he tried to picture all of this. His youngest girl was playing superhero and was now locked in a ridiculous situation. "You're going to get yourself killed, Katherine! What were you thinking?"

More words were about to be strung together, words that would hurt Kate. So her sister decided to interfere by stepping getting up from her seat in the table. "Dad," said Susan Bishop, "that's enough. You know how Kate is. She has always been like this, rushing off to save the world just like mom did." This reminded her of the conversation she had with her sister during her bridal fitting. It was oddly funny how this was coming back to bite her in the ass, especially since she had gotten after Kate about being so noble. "Only this time she's doing it while wearing a costume."

"I'm not a delicate, little flower, dad," said Kate. "I'm strong so strong in fact that Captain America gave me the title and I was even trained by Hawkeye."

"You're still my daughter, Katherine," he told her. "I don't like this at all. You're barely out of high school."

"I've been a Young Avenger since sophomore year," argued Kate.

That wasn't helping the situation any. Derek Bishop could only glare at Kate as he huffed violently under his breath about what his youngest had gotten herself into. As a father, he only wanted what was best for his girls, but his behavior wasn't exactly helpful. He had been distant with his girls, especially after his wife had died.

Somehow, he blamed Kate's behavior on himself. If only he had been there more then he might've been able to prevent this superhero complex Kate had developed.

Before he could argue anymore with her though, Kate tore herself away from the table. She knelt down to her father and took his hand into hers, squeezing it as tightly as she could. "This is something that is a part of me," said Kate. "The Young Avengers depend on me even though I have no powers; I still offer a lot to them as a leader. I learned to be strong because of our family, I pass that strength onto my friends to motivate and inspire them to greatness." Her grip on him grew tighter but so did his. He was starting to open up, to listen to what his daughter had to say which pleased Kate. "We're going up against a force that's older then the universe, I'm going to use everything that I've ever learned to fight him. I'm fighting not for me but for all of you, to save everyone that I care for. I just want you to understand that, dad."

Kate let her father go after that, not sure of what else she could say. There was nothing else that she could say about being a Young Avenger or convincing her father to be okay with it.

But there was one thing he could do and that was to respect the decision that she had made. He couldn't stop Kate from making her decisions, but he didn't have to be silent with his own opinions either.

As for Susan, well, she had learned to accept Kate for who she was ages ago. She loved her little sister no matter what, even if she did have an insane obsession with saving the world.

And that's how Kate Bishop spent her night with her family.

* * *

It was loud in the Kaplan house for many of reasons. There was most obvious reason being that the Kaplan boys were in the living room playing video games with Teddy and Tommy. Since Billy's boyfriend and reincarnated brother had no place else to go, Teddy decided to spend the night with his future in-laws as Tommy was with his surrogate family. They were all downstairs with Billy's younger brothers, while their parents had already crashed out behind them.

Explaining to his family everything that's happened since Wanda Maximoff walked through the door wasn't a pleasant event. If Teddy and Tommy weren't here to support him, Billy had no idea how he was going to do it. His family didn't take the news that well; they begged Billy to just stay out of it, which was physically impossible. He was tangled to The Source because of his peculiar origins.

At least they tried to make their last night together as amazing as possible. They ordered an ungodly amount of takeout from everyone's favorite restaurants. Billy, Tommy, and Teddy's stomachs were bulging over their pants in a way that should've caused them to explode. But they didn't since they were teenage, superhero boys.

It didn't make sense how they did it, but they managed to hack their copy of Halo 4 to allow five players to play. Right now, the boys were all threatening to "frag" each other to death as they played death match. The sounds of explosions on the screen and the fact that their characters were getting blown to bits caused angry excitement amongst the five boys.

Billy's brothers were the most vocal, and that included all of them. Tommy was trying to cheat by getting in the way of Billy's younger brothers, Andrew and Cole, weren't exactly thrilled by Tommy as they got fed up with him and pounced. Andrew and Cole started to climb all over Tommy, forcing the twin to drop his controller as two pre-teens attacked.

"Hey!" shouted Tommy. "This is cheating! Billy, stop killing my guy!"

"All is fair in love and war, brother," laughed Billy as he kept blowing Tommy up.

Andrew and Cole were still all over Tommy for what he did to them. The boys were starting to tickle him to death, which went bad for Tommy since he did have sensitive nerves. He was laughing uncontrollably in a way that he nearly pissed himself before he finally managed to get the two boys off of him.

"Say uncle!" shouted Tommy.

"Never!" Andrew and Cole said at the same time. "Never ever!"

Teddy rolled his eyes as he held back a laugh. He threw a bomb at Andrew and Cole's characters before moving onto shooting Billy. The look that he got from Billy after this looked as if he was going to call off the wedding. "You said 'all is fair in love and war'," said Teddy. "We're not on the same team and it's just a video game."

Punching that smug look off his boyfriend's face, Billy swore revenge as his character began to respawn.

And this is what happens when teenage boys play video games and are all hyped up on junk food.

* * *

Inside of the Young Avengers' headquarters, Jared was alone there, while the Kree and Skrull starships were hovering over the building with their invisibility systems activated. Well, he wasn't exactly alone. The rest of The Organization was there with him and so was the Super Skrull, Kl'rt and Marvel Boy, Noh-Varr. The two aliens behaved even though they belonged to rival species since they both desired the same thing.

For Teddy Altman to bring peace to their war.

Jared tried not to entangle himself in the affairs of the aliens as he turned to his companions. He was sitting next to Joseph with their fingers intertwined and his smaller frame curled against him. He spotted Vanessa sitting across from them with a soft sigh escaping her lips as Viktor and Sasha sat together on a loveseat.

They had all been silent for a while now. After they had decided to help the Young Avengers battle the Source and the arrival of the aliens, there wasn't much that any of them said. The building had people but there was nothing but silence for the past three hours. Nobody said more than two words to each other even after they had eaten their dinner, it was all in silence.

"What do we do now?" asked Vanessa, breaking the silence. "What happens to us if we defeat The Source?"

It was a good question, one that none of them really gave much thought too. Now, Jared was a part of the Young Avengers so he didn't worry that much about his fate, but the others were a different story. None of them had other friends to turn to and their families were a disaster. All they had was the false Organization that Supernova had created only to bring about the Apocalypse.

It was insanely depressing as silence befell them again.

"We'll likely be arrested," said Viktor, "for all that we've done. S.H.I.E.L.D. will probably lock us all away."

"Maybe not though," said Jared. "I was let go. Maybe the Young Avengers could pull some strings."

"I think the rest of us are too old to be Young Avengers," said Sasha. "Besides, I don't want to be running around in tights anymore after this. I would much rather go back to trying to have a normal life."

"Speak for yourself," laughed Joseph. "I would love to be a superhero. That's what I thought I was going to be when I signed up for The Organization." He sighed, sadly as he thought back to all of the things that they did. All those horrors that they committed as The Organization stained his hands. "But we were villains instead."

All of them felt the same as they thought back to all of the things that they had done. Viktor and Sasha had already apologized to the trio for their hands in corrupting their minds. They had been forgiven since none of them held it over their heads. Supernova had fucked with them all, striking them when they were at their weakest, and corrupted their souls.

There was so much hate for the dead man, but they decided to focus that hate on The Source instead.

"We're still in agreement then?" said Viktor. "We will help the Young Avengers to defeat The Source, save the universe, and hopefully cleanse ourselves of some of our sins."

"That sounds like a plan," Vanessa said, smirking a little as she tried to think positive.

They all did, they all wanted that second chance to make things right for themselves.

* * *

Morning came to quickly for their liking.

The Young Avengers woke up and returned to their headquarters to prepare themselves for the final battle. Some of the Kree and Skrull were waiting for them, Jared and the former members of The Organization kept them from going insane when they saw Noh-Varr. Teddy had to explain why the former Kree warrior was there, but his explanation hardly made the situation any better.

Not that any of them cared what the aliens wanted. As far as Billy was concerned, he would magic them away if he had the power to do such a task and if they didn't need the numbers to fight The Source.

All of them had to pool their resource together just to begin tracking The Source down. The scanners hadn't picked up any unusual activity yet, partly due to the residual cosmic energy in the atmosphere from The Source's resurrection and the presence of the Phoenix Force. From what they were able to gather though was that the Phoenix energy was weakening due to some sort of event.

"They did it," said Kate. "The Avengers must've stopped the Phoenix Force. It's the only logical explanation."

"The Source needed the Dark Phoenix to be present in order to be restored to power," said Viktor. "The Dark Phoenix didn't need to stick around. I'm willing to bet that Hope Summers was able to contain the Phoenix Force by some sort of means. She is the Phoenix's chosen avatar."

The Vision mentioned how he signaled the Avengers and the X-Men for help. He had yet to get any type of response from them yet so it left them all wondering just what happened during that final battle with the Dark Phoenix. They had no idea who survived, who died, and what was done to drive the Phoenix away. There was nothing for them to count on, no help at all as they kept searching for The Source.

Sasha assisted The Vision by applying her technological expertise. She helped him to scan the chaos energy that emanated from The Source. It would be their chance to pinpoint The Source's location and take the battle to him instead of waiting to be destroyed.

As they did this, Teddy and the rest of the team turned to Billy. All of them understood that Billy was the key to ending the battle with The Source. The origins of his mystical abilities were the only things that could hurt The Source and be used to seal him away again. It was frightening to know how the weight of the world was literally on his shoulders, but Billy had to rise to the occasion in order to save everyone that he loved.

In his hands was the spell he had written to vanquish The Source. Doctor Strange had approved of the spell before leaving to fight the Phoenix with the Avengers. Now, it was all up to Billy to recite the spell when The Source was at his most vulnerable. But he couldn't see how that was possible if The Source could defeat them all by barely flicking his wrist at them.

Teddy went over to Billy, wrapping his arms around his love. He pulled Billy close and tried to assure Billy that he had the power to stop The Source and save the world. Teddy promised to be there for Billy no matter what happened, which hardly did anything to calm Billy's nerves down as his heart began to hammer against his chest.

There was a slight groan from Billy's throat as he pushed himself away from Teddy. This caught the hybrid off guard but stopped when he noticed that Billy's eyes were glowing. A similar groan escaped Tommy as they all began to notice that Tommy was having a similar reaction to what was going on with Billy.

It was then that Teddy and Kate recognized this, realizing that the twins were having a premonition.

Everyone stayed silent, waiting for Billy and Tommy to come down from their high. It took a while but it eventually came with the twins rushing over to the computer.

"Search the Middle East," said Billy. "The Source is somewhere there."

Tommy agreed but had more to share with the rest of them. "Find areas that are significant and carry mystical origins," said the speedster. "All five, natural elements need to be present for what The Source is planning. Did you see what he was going to do, Billy?"

"All of it."

As The Vision and Sasha went to work, the others tried to question the twins. They wanted to know what it was that they saw and just how it was involved with The Source.

Billy told them that Tommy and him had a vision of The Source attacking a city in the Middle East with an army of demons. That wasn't the end of it though as they saw that The Source was becoming significantly powerful by absorbing power from a five spiritual points. From his studies with Doctor Strange, Billy claimed that The Source had found a physical Nexus, a sight of mystical energy that could be absorbed to empower whoever was wise enough to unlock its secrets.

Since this was The Source that they were dealing with, the twins were certain about it. They were certain that The Source was after a Nexus so to absorb its power to allow him to spread Chaos throughout the multi-verse.

"Is there even a Nexus that powerful to do that?" asked Eli.

"All Nexuses are potentially connected together," Tommy said, applying his studies into the conversation. "The Source will know how to connect all of the Nexuses in the universe to make himself even stronger then he already is. If he can get his hands on all of that raw power then there will be nothing we can do to stop it."

"By why the Middle East though?" asked Mulan.

"It's where the Abraham religions originate and it's also the sight of some of the earliest human civilizations," said Landon. "The Source is basically the Devil so it is only natural that he would strike there first. There must be a greater significance though."

Billy knew exactly what that was as he heard The Vision announce that there was a high level of Chaos Magic brewing in the Middle East. It helped to confirm the theory that was brewing inside his head. "It's where the First Light originates," said the young mage. "The first rays of light to ever touch the Earth hit the Middle East. The Sun may travel from east to west, but the first rays of light broke through the toxins in the atmosphere hit the Middle East first. The oldest and most powerful of all Nexus on Earth can be found there."

"Then that means billions of years of mystical energy can be found at that one spot," Cassie said, shivering.

"The Source will exploit that power," said Jared. "He'll use it to destroy us all."

Once more, The Vision found something as he found the hottest spot in the Middle East for Chaos Magic. He believed that he found the Nexus that Billy was referring to which also coincided with the location from the Book of Revelations.

As the location blinked on the map, the Young Avengers knew just how severe things were about to be as they ordered everyone to suit up for battle. The Vision issued one last distress call before they began to evacuate the headquarters and rush to the Middle East for the final battle with The Source.

Their destination was Israel or Jerusalem to be exact.

* * *

Chaos was slowly beginning to spread as The Source stood in the middle of the Holy City of Jerusalem. His energy seeped everywhere, causing building to crumble and panic to spread everywhere as the mortals couldn't understand what was happening. It was a slow process, but The Source was absorbing everything he could touch as he fed upon the Earth's Nexus.

It was here in the holy city that an opening to the planet's life-force could be found. The Source knew that and used it to his advantage as he drained the energy to make himself all the more stronger. His full potential was awakening with every second that passed as he restored himself back to what he was at the Bang when all the cosmic energy of the universe was first born.

His power has waned since then, but The Source now had the means to rise back to his original self and even exceeded that power. It was from the planet's Nexus that The Source was connecting himself to all other worlds. First, it would be this pathetic solar system then it would spread to others before consuming the galaxy then the rest of the universe. It was a slow, gradual process but one that The Source was willing to take as he fed off of the screams and fear of the mortals.

All five elements bathed him in might, causing the Chaos to spread throughout the entire planet. It was then that The Source wiggled his fingers through the cracks between the dimensions as he slowly began to rip them apart. The City of Jerusalem was the first to fall. Virtually all life was incinerated as fire consumed three-quarters of the city. Hell itself slowly began to push itself into reality as The Source's army began to step onto mortal soil.

The Daemons howled angrily as they began to spread out throughout the city. Their hunger was their only drive, motivation as they feasted upon the souls of mortals. It was a glorious sight to see so many humans die, leading more Chaos to spread.

"Such exquisite wonder," The Source said, raising his hand out to the fires. The city was burning as it had done many times in the past. No god shall save it this time though as The Source was the only true god present, causing all others to cower before him. "I do enjoy seeing cities burn to the ground. Such punishment on the hearts of all sinners is justified, is necessary! Chaos is the key to order, all life must suffer before me!"

The Source's voice vibrated throughout the city. All were already afraid, but his voice only made the fear spread like the wildfire that destroyed the city. It was all so glorious yet there was something missing as The Sourced pulled down his hood to embrace the destruction before him.

Mayhem really brought out the sparkle in his eyes. The Source's face was sickeningly pale and bore a series of scars all over it. His left eye was gone, lost from battle along with part of the left side of his face. On his forehead appeared to be a tattoo that was a circle with a dark line running down the middle of it. And his ears bulged from the horned gauges that pierced them, leaving marks as recognizable as the various scars on his face.

Tilting his head back as he took a deep breath, The Source could smell it in the air. There was innocence floating about, but not of those who were perishing in the fire. "Ah yes, my adversaries should be here soon," said The Source. "I do not understand why these children wish to challenge me when they now they have no power over me. Now that I have the Nexus under my control, nothing can stop me from unleashing the true Chaos upon the universe! All of time and space shall crumble as everything is reduced to nothing. All life shall end and time will be…reset."

His voice barely became above a whisper as The Source raised a hand up to the sky. A frightful smile formed on his face, while fire burned Jerusalem away. "Everything can begin anew. We can go back to how we used to be, Sister, mark my words."

The Source hurled a fireball out into the city. It was a small one but the results were devastating as the entire city was gone in an instant. All that remains was burning buildings, burning bodies, and dancing demons.

All while the heroes began to arrive to defend the rest of the universe from suffering the same fate.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so glad that you were happy with the last chapter, but you're going to go through hell with this one just as much as the Young Avengers will be. You're gonna hate me. Trust me, you're really going to hate me. And if you can guess where the spell that I use later in the chapter is from then I'll give you a cookie. P.S. only two more chapters left.  
**

**It's the End of the World as We Know It:**

_What little hope is left for these mortals who dare to defy me? Don't they know better than to trifle with a god? I know of the powers that they have challenged in the past, my power exceeds all comprehension. No foolish power in the universe can hope to challenge me now that I have immersed myself in harmony with the Earth's Nexus and have nearly claimed The All. _

_Now, I am Ultimate Power. _

_I haven't felt such power since the birth of the universe, a time where there was true balance between Order and Chaos. What glorious times those were! I missed them so, the power that I wielded and the closeness that I shared with my sister. The two of us were inseparable, we were the universe, we were everything. _

_There was a constant cycle of death and destruction that would be followed with life and healing. We must've created hundreds upon hundreds of different universes before finally settling on this current state. But it's still imperfect, there is still much that needs to be done! This universe, the people that live in it, it must end! Chaos must destroy it so that it may all be started anew. The process must return to the beginning as these people do not deserve the life that my sister bestowed upon them. _

_But that cycle has been broken. I do not understand why she allowed this to happen. I should not have fallen for her tricks! By the constant cycle, our powers waned; the power was sapped from us by the constant movement of Chaos and Order. _

_The Source of All Chaos and The Source of All Life, we used so much of our power, stripping away a piece of ourselves by our extraordinary deeds. It is the price that we paid to strive for perfection. It is the price that I paid…but I want that power back, I need it to accomplish what I so desperately desired. _

_LifeForce, why can't you understand that I am doing this to benefit us? I am only doing what must be done. All mortal and godly life in this universe must be eradicated that is why I am here. This suffering must finally stop! Why do you test me by sending this Child at me, to seal me away once more? How could you do this to me after all that we've been through?_

_No matter, it will all end soon enough. I am The Source; I cannot be harmed by a mere child. The mage will not defeat me, I shall destroy him and all that he loves. I am too powerful to be contained now. I learned from my mistakes before, I have used my vessel and servants to create a more powerful version of myself. That was the true purpose of The Organization that Nὀvạ had brought together. It was so that I would be powerful enough to claim the All and to ensure that no one could stand against me. _

_It is time for war to truly begin; my demons will destroy them all as I connect myself to The All. _

_It is through The All, the purest power that has ever existed, that I can resolve all things. Once I have claimed The All, The Source of All Power, then I will have all I need to restart the universe. I, The Source of All Chaos, will have everything that is needed to end existence. My sister will finally step out from the sidelines to reunite with me. Then we can finally create the perfect universe where there is perfection between Chaos and Order. _

_This is the only way…this is what must be done._

_The Source of All Power will be mine once I claim the Nexuses from all the worlds. Once I am connected to Order then The All will be a part of me. I will be reunited with that which all things come from that which brought us into existence. _

_I will beyond all things. Nothing will be able to hold me. No one can stop me once I reach this pinnacle of perfection. _

_It is all but inevitable now even though the Phoenix Force has been defeated. I only needed our child of Death and Rebirth to arise as my Avatar to come to life. The Phoenix has served its purpose now that I am free. Now, I can reach for The All and there is nothing that can stop me from reaching my goal. _

_Not even your chosen avatar, LifeForce, can stop me._

* * *

The Daemon horde came at them for all that they were worth. Wave after wave of Daemons attacked them, forcing a battle unlike any other to begin. The Young Avengers, The Organization, The Kree, and The Skrull fought harder than they ever had before. The Daemons were far more powerful then they could've expected now that The Source was merging his power with the Earth's Nexus.

It meant a higher level of fighting was necessary as they took charge against the Daemon horde.

The Kree and Skrull were spread out to challenge the Daemons. The aliens were truly proving their worth as they spread out to handle the universal threat. Kree soldiers would extract powerful weapons from thin air, using them to blast all the Daemons that got caught in their way. The Skrull used their weapons as well, but they were also willing to use their fists if necessary. All of them were pummeling everything that got in their way, blasting all things, and pushing the Daemons back to allow the Earthlings space to fight.

Noh-Varr and Kl'rt brought the charge forward. The royal protector of Hulkling and his newly appointed guardian fought together to end Daemon lives.

Noh-Varr was truly impressive as he demonstrated his powers in a more positive way, mostly by not using his powers against the Young Avengers this time. The disgraced Marvel Boy pulled out a twin pair of blasters from nowhere, using them to blow several Daemons away. He strapped them to his waist before diving forward to display his physical strength before them. He rotated his body around to kick a Daemon down before smashing a fist down to the ground to knock half a dozen Daemons off their feet.

Kl'rt, the Super Skrull, was just as impressive as he used the powers of the original Fantastic Four. A wave of Daemons were coming after him, but he repelled them by creating a force field before throwing a fist forward that stretched across the field. This fist began to harden until it was almost like a boulder that easily was used to smash down a few Daemons. As for his other hand, he consumed it in the hottest flame possible before launching several fireballs after the Daemons to burn them away.

Moving through the horde, the Young Avengers and The Organization found themselves staring at the ruins of Jerusalem. Once again, history proved to be unkind to the holy sight, this time as it was destroyed by The Source of All Evil. It went without mention all the innocent lives that were lost, prompting them to fight harder than they ever did before to avenge these people and all the others that The Source endangered.

Hawkeye and Patriot were at the front of things with Lady Falcon, Stature, and The Vision racing after them. Avatar, Turquoise Boy, Speed, Hulkling, and Aqua were kept to the back to protect Wiccan as he was the key to stopping The Source. The former Organization members were providing cover fire for the Young Avengers as they attempted to buy the heroes more time in the fight against the Daemon horde.

Terra threw a fist in the air to cause the ground to tare itself open to swallow the Daemons back from whence they came. In a violent display of his power, the ground actually broke apart with about half a dozen Daemons falling under before Terra could seal it back together to crush the creatures to death. He finished this task before throwing nearby boulders after a few more Daemons to keep them from getting any closer.

Nearby was Ventus who whipped up a sandstorm as she took to the air in the desert. She spun her hands together, bringing like to a giant cloud of sound that howled as loud as the Daemons did. At this speed, the sand could rip through flesh which she had manipulated to do just that as she wanted to make sure that these Daemons would be no more. The sandstorm went in for the kill, ripping Daemons apart but many of them still kept on marching forward to attack.

Volt decided to do something about those ones as she charged forward. She might not be from Israel and her people might hate those who reside here, but this carnage could not be allowed to spread. It had to be contained, which is what she tried to do as she hurled streams of electricity from her hands. The already torn Daemons felt their exposed flesh being assaulted by the electrical current, causing them to become blind from madness as they ripped themselves apart from the pain that left them crippled.

As they dropped to the ground, more arose to take their place. Deception went in for these ones as he used his mental abilities to create the illusion of his Pegasus. The mighty steed rode into battle, stomping his proud hooves against the Daemons as his flapping wings allowed him some distance from the awful creatures. Deception knew that his Pegasus couldn't do this alone so he used more illusions, drawing upon other tricks to push the Daemons back as an aura of violet energy surrounded him.

The Young Avengers pushed onward after this. The Organization, the Kree, and the Skrull seemed to have things in check, leaving the young heroes with the opportunity to push themselves towards the city. They were all well aware that The Source would be there so it meant that they were going to be in for a real fight.

But The Source wasn't about to make it that easy on them. More Daemons began to emerge from the ruins of the city, coming in by numbers that they had no idea how far they reached. It quickly turned a bad Apocalypse to a horrible Apocalypse.

Stature attempted to even the odds a little as she grew to a larger size. Now that she was giant, she crouched a little to swipe as many of them away as she could. But this was quickly met with resistance from the Daemons. After her first sweep, the Daemons knew what was coming next so many of them began to spout fire from their mouths. Stature responded by quickly shrinking down to a smaller size to avoid getting burned to death.

As this occurred, The Vision flew in to catch Stature as she fell. The Synthazoid kept to the air as he fired laser blasts from his eyes after the Daemons below them. His attacks were successful in burning and stunning some of the Daemons but there were just too many for him to handle alone. He got Stature and himself to the ground as he warned the others to be cautious in their onward attack.

Hawkeye listened as she stepped back a bit to draw a few arrows from her quiver. She released them which resulted in giant blocks of ice appearing upon impact against the Daemons. There were several frozen Daemons in the battlefield now as Hawkeye pulled more arrows out to handle the rest. These explosive arrows blew many of them up with the frozen ones being shattered in the process as well.

Lady Falcon took control by flying forward. She activated the explosive properties of her mechanized feathers before taking aim at a portion of the horde. By spreading her arms apart, the feathers flew forward to crash into the nearby Daemons. Upon impact there would be several smaller explosions all around them as Lady Falcon returned to the ground to admire the damage that she caused.

That was when some Daemons broke through the smoke to reveal themselves to be unharmed as more began to rise from the ashes of the others. Patriot went after these ones as Hulkling and Avatar broke through their line to offer backup. The young, Super Soldier didn't accept it though as he held onto his shield and smashed the first Daemon that got in his way with it. There was a tingle that travelled up his arm, but Patriot kept on going forward as he rotated his body around to kick a horned Daemon in the face before smashing his shield into another one.

Hulkling in the horde as he flew in with his Skrull wings fully spread. He pushed threw them all, using his strength to finish as many of them as he could. His thick fists proved to be powerful weapons now that he knew what to expect from these creatures. He used all of his might to take these Daemons down by brute force since that's all he really had to offer.

As for Avatar, she backed up the green-skinned teen the best that she could. Her strength came in real handy as she took down a couple of Daemons with simple takedown maneuvers. Quickly moving onto the next ones, she blasted them with photonic energy to keep them stunned as she got closer towards Hulkling. She watched for a moment as he threw two Daemons off of his back before going in to join him by kicking a Daemon in the face before elbowing another in the gut.

Aqua whipped up what water he could gather from what was left of the pipes. He felt bad about draining it, but it was going to a good cause. Swinging his arms forward, he hurled a wave of water after a band of Daemons to creating a chilling effect that left them frozen solid. He used this to his advantage by using this frozen Daemons as projectiles to use to smash other Daemons to bits and pieces. This went on for a while before his body was too drained from such a trick so he went back to splashing Daemons with chilling waters before drowning them.

Turquoise Boy leaped over a fallen Daemon that he had taken down with his electrifying gauntlet. He retracted it as he brought out a gun and took aim at an incoming Daemon. He was prepared this time as he took in several shots that were actually able to kill the creature. It was a good thing that he took some S.H.I.E.L.D. gear that was designed to hurt supernatural creatures like demons. The agent took charge as he took down another Daemon by wrapping his legs around its neck before snapping it before the Daemon had a second to counter.

Speed was working every angle that he could as he lived up to his name. He raced through every Daemon that got tangled up in him to use his powers to his advantage. Now that he was aware of the magic within him and developing more active powers, he used them to take down the Daemons. He started by simply punching Daemons repeatedly until they dropped from exhaustion but he mixed it up once he got stuck fighting a larger group. He stopped them with the flick of his hand before blowing up all that he could. A few managed to survive but he finished those ones off by scrambling their molecules to the point that they melted now that they were weak and vulnerable.

As for Wiccan, he tried to conserve all of the magic that he could. He focused on avoiding getting tangled up in fighting the Daemons but their numbers were making that difficult. He could tell that The Source put the biggest bull's eye on him so he couldn't hold back any longer. Wiccan took to the air with several Daemons trying to chase after him. Before they could reach him though, a wave of blue magic began to circle around Wiccan as he began to cast a powerful spell. A ring of blue energy came out of his body to instantly vaporize the incoming Daemons with those down before also getting tangled in the explosion. Many of the Daemons that everyone else was fighting were also caught in the crossfire, which soon left a fairly clear battlefield as the rest of the creatures were quickly vanquished.

Wiccan dropped to the ground, feeling the stress catch up to him. He pulled himself together quickly enough though as his friends began to surround him as they looked over to the ruins of the city.

All that was left of Jerusalem began to warp, changing before their very eyes as a lone figure ascended to the air. There was a vicious cyclone of dark energy that arose which Wiccan and Speed felt belonged to The Source. Everyone watched as The Source created a new fortress for himself, a medieval castle appeared before them which radiated with chaotic energy as The Source's darkness quickly began to spread everywhere.

The red sky was replaced with an utterly black one. Now though, dark blue cracks began to appear to signify the damage that The Source was doing as he absorbed the powers of the Nexuses.

It didn't end there though. Out from his dark palace, a new horde of Daemons began to appear. There were just as many as the last time from this initial batch but more Daemons started to rise from what little was left of the remains of the Holy City. The Daemons howled into the wind, appearing even more vicious and grotesque then the last batch. Bigger Daemons, uglier Daemons, flying Daemons, lean Daemons, and everything imaginable began to appear to show just how powerful The Source had become.

Things were getting very ugly, very quickly too as they all grew tired. The cold wind that swept in wasn't helping the feeling any as the new horde of Daemons was coming closer.

But fortune came down to show the heroes some kindness. A warm breeze blew in as the Daemons paused for a moment as the sound of jet engines could be heard from above. Everyone look to the sky to see various jets coming into view before hearing a mighty chorus of voices as several bodies descended down.

Astonished by what they saw, the Young Avengers never felt more relieved than they did now.

Standing before them were the Avengers and the X-Men. All of the Earth's heroes had finally come to help them during this desperate moment to help save the universe from certain destruction. Even after the divide that had form between the two groups by the Phoenix Force, they managed to put all of that aside to help the Young Avengers in this battle.

Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Rogue were at the front of all of them. The Young Avengers and their allies joined all of these heroes with them all being surprised to see each other here.

"We thought you were still at war," said Hawkeye.

Stepping forward in his suit of armor, Iron Man briefly looked to the demonic horde before turning towards the younger Hawkeye. "It's over now," said Iron Man, "thanks to Wanda and Hope. They manage to send the Phoenix away before Cyclops could go completely insane."

"He went insane long enough for this to happen though," said Speed. "The rise of the Dark Phoenix was the key to awakening The Source."

"And what is The Source exactly?" asked Captain America. "All we got was your transmission for help from The Vision.

Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch appeared from the collection of heroes. All were listening as Wiccan and Speed immediately went to their mother. Carrying scars from the last battle, the Scarlet Witch felt a wave of relief wash over her as she embraced her sons even knowing what fate had in store for them thanks to a discussion she had with Doctor Strange earlier.

Wiccan managed to pry himself away long enough to offer an explanation. "The Source is the living embodiment of Chaos," he began to say. "He is The Source of All Evil. He's trying to absorb the Earth's Nexus and the Nexuses of all worlds in order to destroy the universe. If he can get the Earth's Nexus then he'll be too powerful for any of us. Only I can beat him though since I'm the Prophecy Child."

"There always has to be a prophecy," Wolverine said, shaking his head. It was becoming a sick rerun of their lives. There was always some type of ancient prophecy when it came with dealing with these ancient powers. "And this one just has to be about Wanda Jr."

"Don't start, Logan," said Rogue. "We just ended one war, let's stop the Apocalypse before you start the next one."

"Agreed," said Iron Man.

The Young Avengers tried their best to explain everything else. The Source was held up inside the dark castle and his horde of Daemons was guarding him. Even with the backup from the Kree and the Skrull, this Apocalypse was truly proving itself to be a handful.

The Avengers and X-Men knew it was a good thing that they showed up when they did. Their war had ended two days before, allowing them some time to recover from the damage that was done. But all of the wounds were still too fresh to truly allow perfect harmony, but the truce that they had created in order to stop Cyclops who had been driven completely mad by the Phoenix Force still had enough of an effect to hold them together for one more battle. They had came together to stop the Dark Phoenix, it was time that they proved themselves worthy of being called heroes again by stopping The Source before he could eradicate all of existence.

If only they hadn't been so senseless to start the war in the first place then they might have been able to do more to help the Young Avengers to prevent this from happening all together.

But they couldn't think about the past right now. Right now, all that mattered was making sure that there was a future for them all.

All of the heroes turned to Wiccan, knowing damn well that this was all about him. The young mage turned to his friends, family, and the people he had idolized since he was a kid. It was time that they did something to push evil back and for him to embrace his destiny as the Child of Creation. It was time to defeat The Source and save the universe from destruction.

"Avengers Assemble!" Wiccan shouted as he declared war against The Source.

All at once, they began their attack. The Young Avengers were joined by The Organization, The Avengers, the X-Men, the Skrull, and the Kree as the horde of Daemons went after them without any mercy. This all occurred as The Source watched from within his castle, feeding upon the powers of the Nexus with a smile on his face as things were truly becoming interesting.

* * *

Blood and fire rained everywhere as the Apocalypse swept all around them. The Source's horde of Daemons was far more powerful than anything else that they could've possibly imagined. The exhausted Avengers and X-Men battled bravely despite the conflict that had crippled them for months and the ferocious battle that they had just wrapped up with the Dark Phoenix. Even as the Kree and the Skrull fought alongside them, it was proving that this Apocalypse would not be an easy one.

There was explosions, magic, elements, and everything else imaginable going off every couple of seconds as they continued to fight. The Young Avengers truly proved their worth for lasting this long, but not even the Avengers or X-Men could see how they could continue on like this. The Source's Daemons greatly outnumbered them and were overpowering.

But they all still refused to surrender, none of the heroes present would bow down to The Source. They would continue fighting until there was nothing left of them.

Racing through the Daemons, Captain America bashed through them all with his vibranium shield. A Daemon attempted to grab him with its razor sharp claw, but Captain America bowed out before throwing his body up to smash the creature with his fist. It sent the creature flying, providing him with some much needed space to help out their allies.

Horribly surrounded, The Source had sent a vast amount of his Daemons after the Prophecy Child. There were dozens upon dozens of Daemons swarming around Wiccan as they attempted to slaughter the mage before he could fight against The Source. It was low, but Wiccan resisted them as he fended them off with his magic.

Wiccan wasn't alone as he fought beside Hulkling. His alien lover threw himself into the heat of it all as he pummeled the Daemon away from Wiccan. Green fists smashed into Daemon after Daemon as he reunited with Wiccan in the middle of the Apocalypse.

"We just can't catch a break," Wiccan shouted as he burned a Daemon with magic.

Hulkling ducked to avoid a Daemon's attack before springing back up with an uppercut. "Even with everyone here helping us, it's not making things any easier on us," said his boyfriend. Once more, Hulkling avoided another attack before countering with his own. While his back was turned though, a Daemon approached only for Wiccan to catch it by shooting a bolt of lightning at it.

There was a loud vibration in the air that caused the couple to pause for a moment. A few Daemons dropped down to the ground, defeated, as Captain America stood over them. The Super Soldier smiled at the boys, fixing his star-spangled uniform as he was soon joined by two other faces.

Ms. Marvel came in, dressed in her usual one piece with her long, blonde hair blowing in the wind. She swooped in from the sky to blast a few Daemons with her photon blasts. Joining her was another famous face. The X-Man, Northstar, sped through them all in his white and black uniform. He dove through the Daemons to smash them to bits with his lightning fast fists before racing back to join Ms. Marvel for a landing.

Captain America raced over towards the boys as Ms. Marvel and Northstar worked on clearing out more Daemons. Nearby, Speed could be seen coming in to back them up along with the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

"You boys alright?" asked Captain America.

"Been better," Wiccan said, sarcastically. "I prefer my Apocalypses to have more fire and brimstone though. I don't think The Source knows how to throw a party."

Hulkling elbowed his fiancé before explaining how badly outnumbered that they've been. "The Source wants Billy dead more then any of us," said the alien teen. "Billy is the only one with the power to stop The Source. Every second that Billy lives is a second closer to The Source being defeated, The Source has to be getting nervous."

It pained Captain America to see this as he was well aware of how dangerous things were becoming for them all. The Apocalypse was getting too out of control as more Daemons swarmed the area. "So it's like we said earlier," said Captain America, "we have to keep Billy alive at all costs." His heart ached as he realized what he was doing. He was sentencing another child to death because it was the only way to save the world. This time, it was worse than with Bucky, it was the second time that he would fail to save Billy's young life. He already failed Wanda once, he didn't want that to happen a second time. "Just like Hope and Wanda were the only ones who could stop the Phoenix, Billy is the only one capable of stopping The Source."

That was all too true.

Wiccan stepped forward though as he touched the ring hidden by his gloves. He turned to Hulkling for a moment before looking over to Captain America. "Before we race off to certain doom though, I just have one thing to ask you," Wiccan began to say. The mage caught the soldier's attention just as the mage grabbed onto Hulkling's hand. "Teddy purposed to me a long time ago and since the world is about to end…can you marry us?"

Eyes bulged out of his mask for but as second as Captain America had no idea how to respond to that. He then could only shake his head as that was the mentality of another time and decided to smile at the boy that asked him to perform such a task. "It would be my honor, Billy," said the Super Soldier. "You sure that you want to do it now?"

"Kind of," said Wiccan. "There is no better time then the present."

"And you're going to have to be fast," said Hulkling, "we got demons coming in."

As the words left his lips, a new swarm of Daemons had spawned and began to surround the three of them. This batch was just as mean and ugly as the last dozen that they had been fighting for the last two hours. It was beginning to get ridiculous as they all prepared for the next round of battle against The Source's minions.

Before they could react though, a blur came in to knock a Daemon in the face. It cleared up to reveal that the attack was Northstar who had come in to intercept the demons. He turned his head to the side, throwing them a thumbs up. "Perform the ceremony, Cap!" said the mutant. "I'll have Kyle put together a fabulous reception after we're done saving the world. I hope you, boys, like red velvet cake!"

Northstar raced off again to fight more Daemons of his own as the next batch started to come towards them.

Captain America agreed to perform the ceremony as they took charge after the Daemons together. Wiccan tried to hold off the demons by hurling a wave of blue magic after them but it wasn't enough to stop them for long. He quickly joined hands with Hulkling as Captain America threw his shield to buy them a few more seconds.

Winging it since he only performed two other ceremonies before this, Captain America caught his shield before turning back to the couple. "Dearly beloved," shouted Captain America, "we are gathered here in the middle of the Apocalypse to bring two extraordinary boys together in a beautiful union of hearts!" A horrific growl caught his attention, prompting Captain America to spin around to smash a Daemon in the face with his shield.

More Daemons started to come in, causing the ceremony to be put on hold. Wiccan shot fire from his hands as Hulkling protected him by smashing faces in.

Another creature was knocked down as Captain America stood over its body. He saw that the boys were still fighting but decided to keep it going anyways, speaking as loud as he could so that their friends could hear. "If there are any non-demonic entities that have a reason why these two should not be join in marriage speak now or forever hold your peace!" When there was no response other then demons growling and heroes yelling back at them, Captain America chose to continue.

"Theodore Altman, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Taking down a Daemon together, Hulkling and Wiccan got back together just as those words escaped from Captain America's mouth. They took each other's hand with a smile forming on Hulkling's face as he opened his mouth. "I do!" Hulkling said, happily. "Now and forever."

A Daemon charged between them, forcing the couple to break apart. Hulkling dove back before swinging his leg forward to kick the creature in the chest. The Daemon went stumbling back as Wiccan came in to hurl a blast of magic after the creature, causing it to explode. Once more, the couple joined hands as they waited for the captain to speak.

Meanwhile, Captain America threw a Daemon off of him that attempted to climb on top of him. He smashed the creature down with his shield before picking his head back up. "Now, William Kaplan, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" asked Captain America.

"I do!" Wiccan said, holding onto Hulkling's hand. "I really do."

"Then by the power invested in me by the United States of America and the Avengers," said Captain America, "I proudly declare you to be married! May nothing break the bonds that hold you two together! Now you may—" Captain America got thrown off to the ground as two Daemons jumped him. The Super Soldier fought them off, but a few more were coming in to attack him. "Fuck! Just kiss!"

Wiccan and Hulkling didn't have the chance to share their first kiss as a married couple. They were busy fighting off some demons that were trying to strangle them or rip them to shreds. It took all that they had not to get swamped by them as they fended off their attackers.

Luckily though, a few more blurs came into the picture. Wiccan and Hulkling found themselves a little disoriented by this until the blurs pushed the demons back far enough for them to stop moving. It was then that they spotted that their rescuers were Speed and Quicksilver who finally made it after fending off swarm after swarm of demons to get there.

As for Captain America, a blast of scarlet-pink light tore the Daemons on him apart. He gave out a sigh of relief as he went over to retrieve his shield as a gloved hand came out to help him back on his feet. It was the Scarlet Witch who he owed thanks to as she looked over towards her son and now son-in-law.

"Finish it, Captain," said the Scarlet Witch.

Captain America nodded his head as he turned back towards the boys. "You may now kiss," he said now that the demons were held back.

"Kiss already!" shouted Speed.

Without any distractions to hold them back, they did just that. Wiccan and Hulkling embraced each other as husbands, while an Apocalypse went on around them. For just a second, none of that mattered as there was only the two of them. All other things went ignored as they embraced this new life together, for however brief it might be, as a married couple.

And just that first kiss was enough to make Hulkling feel like he was on top of the world as he held Wiccan close to him. As for Wiccan, he knew that no other moment in his life could compare as he held onto Hulkling.

* * *

As the high from their wedding went away, Wicca and Hulkling began to remember the Apocalypse that was going on around them. Everything was still going to Hell so they needed to focus their attention on figuring out just how they were going to stop The Source from destroying the entire multi-verse.

The young couple found Speed, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Volt, the Beast, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and The Vision I coming towards their side. It was a small assembly, but there were enough minds that were brought together to at least come up with a solution to their problem.

The Beast threw what was left his glasses to the ground as he looked up to the chaotic castle. It was a truly frightening sight, but the power he felt there reminded him of just how much danger that they were in. "You said he is trying to steal the Earth's mystical energies, correct?" asked the blue-furred mutant. His intelligence tried to piece this all together since he was used to figuring out solutions when it came to science and magic. "This Source's power will elevate into something that exceeds all other things if he can accomplish that. But what do we do if he succeeds? How can we begin to severe him from that power?"

"Billy and I can try another spell," said the Scarlet Witch. "It was enough to extract the LifeForce from Doom."

Volt had to shake her head from that solution after prying herself away from combat long enough to apply her knowledge of The Source into things. "A simple spell won't be enough," said the young woman. "You will need a powerful spell and at least three mages to accomplish that." The last statement she said specifically to Speed who grinned at her once he saw her eyebrow raised.

"How do you know that?" asked Doctor Strange.

"I've been a part of The Organization for a long time," said Volt. "Supernova planned on absorbing the Nexus long ago but found out that the power would instantly destroy him."

"Then I guess I'll be backing these two up!" Speed said, wrapping his arms around his mother and brother.

Quicksilver turned to his nephew, pulling his head back by grabbing his hair. "Since when did you get your hands on magic?" asked the elder speedster. "You didn't mess with anything evil, did you?"

Wiccan freed his brother from his uncle's hand since most of them were curious by this new development. "Tommy has always had magic in his blood," explained the young mage. "It just chose to reveal itself after Emma Frost tried to attack him. He's not connected to the LifeForce like I am, but part of his power comes from there as well."

"That bitch," the Scarlet Witch said, bitterly. Her fists were clenched as reddish-pink light began to flutter out of there. It was fortunate for them that none of the Phoenix Five members were present; all were in hiding with the exception of Cyclops who was sitting in jail. "So we have three mages then we just need a spell to strip The Source of his Nexus powers."

"I might have that," said Doctor Strange as he conjured a piece of paper. "It is an ancient spell that was entrusted to the Sorcerer Supreme should the Nexus fall into the wrong hands." He handed the spell over to Wiccan who began to share it with Speed and the Scarlet Witch. Their eyes scanned the paper as they quickly tried to memorize every word. "It should prove to be effective against The Source if the three of you recite it."

"Then they will need a lengthy distraction," said The Vision I. "The boys and Wanda will need the muscle to backup their magic. The Source will not just stand still and let them get away with stripping him of ultimate power. Who will accompany them?"

"I will," Hulkling said. "I'm not going to let anything to my husband."

Wiccan smiled as he kissed Hulkling on the cheek.

Quicksilver offered his services as well with The Vision I doing the same thing. The Vision's offer came as a surprise, but the Scarlet Witch held back her questions as she believed she understood his thinking. They might no longer be married and the boys weren't Maximoffs, but The Vision still saw them as the boys that he raised. It was a connection that she knew all too well as she sighed silently with the spell now in her mind.

Captain America, Volt, the Beast, and Doctor Strange took off after that. They wished them the best of luck when it came to fighting The Source as they resumed their battle against the Daemon invasion.

Swallowing his fear, Wiccan stuffed the paper in his pocket as he looked at the castle that stood before him. He clenched onto Hulkling's hand, refusing to let it go before looking over to the rest of his family. He couldn't even begin to say how grateful he was to have them all there, including The Vision I who had been his father in his past life. Together, he was certain that they would be able to defeat The Source.

But he felt pain as he knew that one of them was missing. He had heard from the Scarlet Witch earlier during the fight that Magneto had been killed by Cyclops along with Professor Xavier. There was nothing that could be done about that now so Wiccan chose to focus his attention on defeating The Source who was the cause of all this pain.

Their party began to approach the castle with the Daemons being cleared out when the air began to feel heavy. They feared that The Source was trying something new as Daemons started to try and ambush them only to be stopped by a strange force. Things changed quickly as metal walls descended from the sky that was powerful enough to push the Daemons back as a lone figure descended from the sky. Hearts pounding against their chests, everyone who witnessed this were surprised by what they had just seen.

It was Magneto, the Master of Magnetism.

Magneto landed beside his family and appeared without a single scratch or scar that would've been expected from someone who had been destroyed by the Phoenix. The Scarlet Witch embraced her father, trying to get some answers out of him only to be silenced by him. He turned his sights on his grandsons who were just as surprised to see him, while Quicksilver, Hulkling, and The Vision stayed out of it.

"How did you survive though?" asked the Scarlet Witch. "I couldn't heal you."

"You owe a debt of thanks to Hope," said Magneto. "Before you sent the Phoenix away, she brought me back to life with the Phoenix Force. It was her way of apologizing for…breaking your nose?"

The Scarlet Witch blushed as she remembered that less than great battle she had against the teenage mutant. It wasn't pleasant but she was grateful nonetheless though.

The family reunion was cut short though as Wiccan told them that they needed to keep on going. They began to fill Magneto on The Source situation along the way as they stormed the castle.

Oddly enough, there were no Daemons guarding the place. The empty castle was just that empty. It was very strange so they proceeded with caution to make sure that they didn't fall for any trap that might being lurking around. They knew that The Source was up to something, but they couldn't tell what it was exactly as they ascended a set of stairs where they felt the chaos power was at its strongest.

Hulkling and The Vision I pushed a heavy pair of doors open only be swept back by the chaos energy. The two of them nearly fell down the stairs when Magneto and Quicksilver caught them. Wiccan, Speed, and the Scarlet Witch looked forward to see that they were on the roof of the castle with The Source sitting on a floating chair.

The Source was bathed in black light as a crimson aura surrounded his body. His face looked almost as gruesome as the ones that belonged to his Daemons. At first, The Source ignored all of them, this bizarre extended-family, as they approached his throne. He focused all his attention on feasting upon The Nexus and the battle that went on outside his walls.

At least that's how it worked until a ball of blue light struck him. The magic touched his body, but it didn't leave a single mark upon him as he finally opened pitch black eyes to look upon the heroes that gathered before him. "Ow," he said, sarcastically with his deep voice echoing throughout the castle. The Source conjured a ball of fire in his hand which he snuffed out as he straightened himself out on the chair. "So, it is time then. The Child of Creation has brought his family to die with him, it is very poetic."

Wiccan threw his cape back, stepping away from everyone as he found the courage to stare The Source down with his deep brown eyes. The Child of Creation had a faint, blue aura around him to show just how ready he was to face him in battle. "I won't be the one who will be defeated today, Source," said the young mage. "We will vanquish you! You cannot stop us."

A deep laugh escaped The Source's throat as he had to mock the child's naivety. He finally stood from his throne and slowly began to descend from it with his chaotic aura growing stronger as he took in more of the Nexus. "With what power do you have?" said The Source. "My army is constantly regenerating itself while your heroes and aliens are losing their strength. As for the rest of you, what have you brought before to face me?"

"There is a man-bot who loves the Chaos Witch who committed genocide," The Source said to The Vision and the Scarlet Witch. "Then there is the grumpy father who constantly tries to kill his arrogant child who tries to kill him too." Magneto and Quicksilver flinched by that comment as they glared at The Source. Next, The Source chose to focus his sights on Hulkling and Speed. "We also have the alien hybrid that has two empires willing to kill him if they cannot have him. There is the juvenile delinquent with an obsession for making things go boom!"

As his feet touched the ground, The Source looked Wiccan directly in the eye as he bore a grin on his scarred face. "And then there is you, child," said The Source. "The witch who has the power to control the hand of Creation but has no idea how to even us his power: and carries with him narcissistic characteristics." Holding up a finger at Wiccan, The Source ignited it to prove a point. Fire slowly began to spread to encircle Wiccan to extinguish his life. "You are a false Messiah, young man, and you know how the world feels about false Messiahs!"

Before any more could be done, a blur struck The Source for all that he was worth. The fire around Wiccan was immediately gone as Speed cleared up with his fist still up in the air from the uppercut that he gave The Source. The speedster felt great but he was in for a rude awakening as The Source levitated back to his feet to smack the boy away from him. Speed went sailing across the roof until he smashed against the stone before reaching the edge.

The Source could only shake his head at them as The Vision I and Quicksilver went to Speed. The Primordial Chaos touched the ground with his bare feet to spread the dark energy contained within his being. "Let us end this game now," said The Source. "The Earth's Nexus is under my command now, my power already exceeded all that you were before but now I am closer to my true goal. I will touch The All, the original Nexus, and The Source of All Power, that I owe my existence to. With The All under my control then I will have all that I needed to extinguish the universe in a single instant!"

Showing his hand, the assembled heroes understood just what it was that The Source sought. They might have never heard of The All before, but knowing what it was brought enough urgency to their situation. They had to do something about him and quick if they were going to put an end to The Source before it was too late.

With Speed back on his feet now, Wiccan called for them to attack as he led them to battle against The Source.

* * *

Shit continued to fly everywhere as the battle against the Daemons grew all the more vicious.

It was getting very smashing as the Hulks came in to do something about it. The Incredible Hulk was joined by the Red Hulk and She-Hulk with the horde of Daemons never knowing what was about to hit them. Things were about to get very nasty and painful once the Hulks had their way with all of them.

She-Hulk moved through her male-counterparts, using her smaller stature to her advantage to strike her opponents. She clenched her gloved fists as her green hair flowed behind her. Two Daemons tried to jump her, but that ended badly for them as she sprung into action. Her fists bashed one apart while she swung her leg down to smash the skull of another one.

Upon landing, She-Hulk found herself near a broken wall that once surrounded the city. It felt a little sacrilegious to do so, but she grabbed the wall and used it to smash a few Daemons with it. They went down like bricks which led to She-Hulk to laugh as she sprung through the smog to fight more of them.

The two Hulks were joined together as they use their massive powers to attack the Daemons that were foolish enough to go after them. The Hulk punched a group of them away as Red Hulk stomped the ground with his giant feet. The disoriented Daemons wouldn't know what hit them as they were met with two Hulks charging right towards them. If Daemons were capable of understanding what fear was, they would've known to run and run fast. But they didn't so the end result was them getting smashed to bits.

The Hulk tore several of the Daemons apart as Red Hulk was stomping as many of them as he could into nothing. It was becoming an awful mess but it was the demons at fault here as they were stupid enough to challenge the Hulks.

More Daemons attempted to swarm the three Hulks, causing each of them to grin at the foolish creatures. All three of the Hulks brought their hands together to create a sonic boom that tore the Daemons apart from the massive blast were generated by their colossal strength. The Daemons were torn into bits within an instant, but only more would come to take their place.

The Hulk loved it as he immediately threw himself in to smash the shit out of them.

Far from the Hulks, a group of mutants found themselves tangled up in a nasty mess that needed to be cleaned up. Angel flew into the air to take down the Daemons that had turned to the sky, while Psylocke worked with Gambit and Hope to handle the rest.

It was just getting worse with every second that passed. More Daemons were coming out of there, which was making it harder on Angel to keep to the sky. He swooped through a web of Daemons to avoid getting tied down as he turned around to see just how many were chasing after him. He struck back as he threw out dozens of razor sharp feathers after the Daemons to tare them into bits and pieces.

Angel kept on flying to handle the rest of them as his friends fought below.

Psylocke used her psychic abilities and combat mastery in perfect harmony to take down all the Daemons that got in her way. Her psychic katana was a big help as she used it to slice her foes apart before they could get any closer towards her. It saved her some time to try and work through their decaying minds as she hoped that she could figure out something about these creatures that would vital to them.

But all she saw was a sea of madness and evil. It frightened even someone as hardened as her to no end as she chose that there was no point in venturing any further into such chaos. Such a task would've led to the destruction of her own mind, which is something she didn't want to have to go through again.

The red headed girl, Hope Summers, avoided a Daemon's attack without batting an eyelash. She grabbed the creature's arm and used her Iron Fist training to throwing the creature down. It caused a grin to form on her face that quickly faded away once she turned around to see how many more Daemons were left.

"Oh great," said the young woman. "I'm really regretting listening to Wanda now. The Phoenix would really come in handy right about now. I could've used that power to waste all of these guys to nothing." The Mutant Messiah was still reckless though even without the Phoenix Force melding into her body as she took charge. She used her mimicry to copy the powers of the other X-Men to use them against the Daemons.

Lightning, fire, super fast fists, and explosions pretty much summed up everything that Hope did in a matter of seconds. She was quick and light on her feet as she decimated a good three dozen Daemons, but it still took its toll on her as she felt sleep catching up to her. It was only two days ago that she was one with the Phoenix Force and now she was just a girl again who was coming down from the high that was ultimate power.

This left her exposed to a Daemon that tried to grab her by the neck. Only that didn't happen as Gambit spotted this. The Ragin' Cajun spotted the Daemon and quickly dismantled the one he was facing by using his staff. He quickly dug a card from his pocket and found that it was the Queen of Diamonds which he quickly threw towards Hope who took the hint.

She grabbed the card and copied Gambit's kinetic abilities to charge the card. She blocked the incoming Daemon's attack before placing the card right on its face. With seconds to spare, she kicked the Daemon as hard as she could to send it flying back before the card finally exploded and took the creature down with it.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes found themselves surrounded by a band of Daemons. They were easily outnumbered more than twelve to one. It wasn't fair nor was it going to be fun fighting all of them, but that wouldn't stop them from trying. That's why it paid to be a quick shot like they were easy they fired every arrow that they could after the Daemons.

Each arrow would hit its mark, but these Daemons were far more resilient. It was growing more and more difficult to actually keep them down as a new batch came in every other minute. Their arrows were only doing so much damage after a certain point, making it obvious that they were going to have to switch up their strategies.

The younger Hawkeye ducked for cover to avoid a barrage of Daemon fists that were coming after her. She locked her bow away to trade it in for her sword since she felt that it would do a little more damage than her arrows. She turned out to be right as her blade easily sliced a Daemon apart only because she managed to swing it with enough force.

She looked back to see that the older Hawkeye was having a bit of trouble. She tried to go to save him, but he managed to save himself. He got rid of his bow as well, trading it in for a blade that was strapped to his forearm. He used it to slice a few demon limbs off before grabbing one of his arrows to stab a Daemon in the eye with it. A tiny light began to flicker, prompting him to tell his female counterpart to get out of the way as he dropped down as the Daemon exploded.

Demon guts rained down everywhere, but the Hawkeyes managed to stay clean as they got back into the battle.

Both of them groaned, frustrated to see that there were even more Daemons now then there was before. At least three dozen more had shown up from nowhere to join the battle, making this all the more difficult for them.

That was at first glance though. A few beams began to come down from the sky, causing the two Hawkeyes to activate their glasses sensitivity feature to keep themselves from going blind. They thought that it was magic at first but the older Hawkeye quickly noticed that it was Kree artillery. They both looked up to see that it was Noh-Varr that had come to back them up.

The Kree soldier was shooting at the Daemons with a pair of blasters. His weapons were able to take a few of them, giving him enough space to land nearby the two Hawkeyes. "Catch, Barton!" shouted Noh-Varr. Quickly, he tossed one of the blasters to the older Hawkeye which grew into a larger rifle.

The elder Hawkeye caught it and took aim at a Daemon. It happened so fast, but it was so much cooler than his bow and arrow. The Daemon he shot at blew up into bite-sized chunks in such a spectacular fashion that it caused Hawkeye to laugh as he went in after more Daemons.

Noh-Varr stood beside the younger Hawkeye with a new blaster to replace his old one. She was still armed with a sword as they saw more Daemons coming after them. They quickly broke apart to take on the demonic threats, shooting and slicing at everything that belonged to the demonic community.

This was only the beginning though as the greater battle was going on within the dark palace behind them.

* * *

Fire roared all along the roof as The Source tried to burn his enemies alive. The fire escaped from the rooftop with The Source laughing, hysterically, from the fire that he conjured before them. The powers he felt from the Nexus were truly wonderful as he was inching his way closer to claiming The All for himself. He already held within him an entire galaxy's worth of Nexuses swimming within him, meaning he was getting closer to his ultimate goal.

Finally snuffing out his fire, The Source dropped his hands to his sides with a grin forming on his face. The last of the flames faded only to reveal a wall of magic that had offered protection to his enemies. The Source growled as he saw that Wiccan and the Scarlet Witch had used their powers to protect them from that last attack.

They were drained though as the spell had taxed them a great deal of their strength. The Source prepared to attack only to be caught by surprise as his hands were pulled back behind him.

Not even The Source caught the blur that came forth. He didn't have to turn his head back to see that it was Quicksilver that was attempting to restrain him. The Source pretended to be helpless to the trick when he saw more movement. This time it was The Vision I who grabbed The Source by phasing through his chest to mess with his internal organs.

Only The Vision found it to be ineffective as The Source wasn't built the same way that mortals were. A grin formed on his demonic face before he broke free from this pathetic trap. A blast of raw energy ripped out from his body to toss both men back with The Source ascending to the sky to look at how Quicksilver and The Vision fell before him.

A series of metal chains began to come at him now. The Source flew away from the coming attack when he spotted Magneto still on the rooftop, manipulating the metal to do his bidding. It was truly adorable how Magneto thought he was powerful enough to trap The Source. It was time for this sinner to be taught a lesson as The Source grabbed the mutant with psychic force to raise him up in into the air.

"What investment do you have in this, Eric?" whispered The Source. "You have tried on many occasions to kill humankind. You have even sold your own children out!" The Source pulled Magneto closer to him, noticing the fear in the man's eyes as he did so. It was truly delicious and wonderful as he further proved his domination by breaking into Magneto's mind despite the helmet that he wore to protect his thoughts. What he saw was enough to make the Chaos laugh as he now had Magneto facing him. "Is that so? You finally become enlightened of your sins against all mortals and seek to make amends by starting with the grandsons you failed to protect."

Magneto attempted to defy this mental intrusion, but The Source was far too powerful for that. He fought to stand strong though to resist the living embodiment of Chaos. "Stay away from my mind, demon!" growled Magneto. "The things I've seen would make even your toes curl!" He attempted to further his resistance by hurling a magnetic force against The Source.

The Source felt the pressure against his chest, but found it to be rather pathetic. Magneto's efforts though were enough to get a chuckle to escape from him. "Isn't that adorable and even admirable," said The Source, "but it's a shame that you're so disillusioned. You have no real power, you're just as pathetic as the humans that you so hate!"

The Source threw Magneto down to the roof with all of his might. It should've killed the man, but The Source was kind enough to spare Magneto from such a death.

A flash of red light struck The Source before he could do anything else though. The Source protected himself with a shield though, drawing in more power from the Nexuses that he had already absorbed. He spotted that it was the Scarlet Witch that dared to defy him now to avenge her fallen family and the man who was both disgusted and adored her.

The Scarlet Witch stood in front of her children with her own Chaos Magic striking the Original Chaos with all her might. She tried to use her abilities over probability to cause The Source to lose control of his own powers, but his abilities were far beyond anything that she could hope to comprehend. Without the powers of the LifeForce, there was nothing more that the Scarlet Witch could hope to accomplish against him.

That didn't mean she surrendered though. She refused to give into him as she continued to blast his shield with all her might.

"Do you think you stand a chance against me, Wanda?" said The Source. "I am Chaos and you are a Witch of Chaos. Your power can do nothing against me! I dare you to try and say 'No More Source' and see what happens!" His laughter filled the air as he continued to resist her magical assault. He had to admire just how long she was willing to go with this assault. "You will only make me stronger, Wanda. It is best that you surrender now."

"Surrender this!" shouted Wiccan as he joined his mother. A bolt of blue energy joined her attack to strike the wall that The Source had around him. His magic was a bit more effective but even then it still didn't have enough of a punch behind it.

Speed knew this as he joined his mother and brother. He briefly winked at Hulkling before he held his hand sup with a green aura surrounding them. "Take this, loser!" shouted Speed. A bolt of green magic erupted from his hands to join their magical chain.

The magic grew strong as it attempted to push The Source back. Even with the power that he collected, The Source felt something more behind it as he sensed the twins' magic altering the powers of their mother. It wasn't permanent, but the Chaos within it was be overwhelmed by the powers of Creation. This was the only thing that was slowing The Source down for the moment when he felt something else coming at him.

Hulkling came in to try and catch The Source off his guard. The alien slammed his fist against The Source as hard as he could only to be held back by the barrier.

Rolling his eyes, The Source barely felt anything as he held the four parties back. He started ignoring Hulkling until he felt the teen punching at him repeatedly. "Don't you get tired of this, boy?" said The Source. "Do you really feel that Billy is worth all the trouble you have to go through for him? What makes him worth going through all of this trouble?"

"Because I love him," said Hulkling. "That's something you can't even begin to understand! That's why all you can do is destroy!"

Rising to the occasion, the others were getting back on the feet as the battle outside the castle escalated. Quicksilver attempted to scramble The Source's shield with The Vision firing high-powered lasers and Magneto hurling magnetic blasts after him.

All of their combined attacks were actually causing The Source to lose his concentration. It wasn't perfect, but the moment was right which made Wiccan signal his mother and brother to start reciting the words. Wiccan and Speed placed one hand on the Scarlet Witch's shoulder as they continued to attack The Source with their magic.

Closing their eyes, they recited the words from the spell that Doctor Strange had given him. They needed to act fast if they were to strip The Source of his connection to the Nexus.

"I am light, I am one too strong to fight," said the three of them. They were clinging onto each other as flickers of light began to surround The Source. These lights managed to break through his barrier, causing him to understand what it was that they were attempting to do. "So go away and leave my sight. And take with you this endless night!"

The walls came crashing down around The Source. The lights that had been called by the spell consumed him all at once before flickering away to leave him open. All of their attacks came crashing after at him all at once, causing The Source to feel some real pain now that he had been stripped of his connection to the Nexus.

Wiccan started to cheer along with the others as The Source landed on another part of his twisted castle. They all regrouped together, waiting as Wiccan prepared the final spell that would end the threat of The Source once and for all. He unscrolled the paper and took Speed's hand as they started to make their way towards the edge of the roof.

They spotted The Source, unconscious near them and show no signs of getting up anytime soon. The twins nodded their heads, preparing to open their mouths hewn they were caught completely by surprise.

Rising back up to his feet, The Source returned with his arms spread out as a laugh escaped from his throat. He conjured a fireball in his hands and threw it at the twins. Wiccan erected a barrier around them to protect them from the attack, but The Source's attack was full of anger. The twins were thrown towards the center of the roof, closer towards their family as The Source returned.

Even without the Nexus, he still had enough power to destroy them all.

"How dare you," mocked The Source. "How dare you take the Nexus away from me? You pathetic, insignificant ants dare to defy a god!" Another fireball came to his hand, which he would use to end their existence. No more would the Child of Creation interfere, no one would stop him from claiming The All. "I will end you! I will be rid of you forever."

The Source was ready to end them all. He threw his fireball this one was far larger and powerful than any of the other ones he had before. It was with this that he would end the threat that they brought to him.

Wiccan knew that there wasn't enough time to block the attack. The spell that he would have to create would be a powerful on and this attack was coming in too quick for even Speed to get them out of the way. But that didn't stop anyone from trying, especially his husband.

Hulkling interfered as he had tried to catch up to protect the twins from the beginning. He was already in front of the twins, willing to sacrifice himself to save them. It was just the type of person that Hulkling always was. He was a protector, a martyr that was willing to do everything to save everyone that he loved.

It was when Wiccan understood what he had to do. It wasn't fair that Hulkling always had to put himself on the line; it was time that Wiccan needed to do something greater for Hulkling. He already had a spell in mind, one that could be cast quickly enough to save all of them.

Snapping his fingers, Wiccan created a transference spell. There were waves of magic that emanated from his hands to transport them to different spots. Wiccan switched spots with Hulkling, putting himself in harm's way in order to save his brother and his husband.

Time felt like it stopped as Hulkling saw what had just happened to him. He shouted at the top of his lungs as he tried to stop Wiccan, but it was already too late.

Laughter filled the air as The Source what had just happened. It was then that his attack hit Wiccan, shattering the boy into nothing with the fireball coming into contact with his body. The pain was only there for an instant, a small flash and then it was gone. Wiccan felt nothing else as everything became dark as he descended down to the ground. Several screams filled the air as Hulkling reached Wiccan as the mage was quickly fading away from the attack.

Hulkling caught Wiccan in his arms as Speed jumped towards his brother as well. Everyone there began to gather around Wiccan's fading form, while The Source laughed from the death of the Child of Creation.

Wiccan had his eyes closed as his body faded away in blue light. His hand fell off to the side, touching Speed to share all that he had with him. It was the only thing that he could give to them now that he couldn't go on any further.

"No, Billy, no," Hulkling cried as he prayed for a way for him to come back. He couldn't understand how this could be happening, after everything that they had done to try and prevent this moment. He thought that they had a plan, a real plan that could've spared Billy of his life. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The Source was supposed to be defeated and they were supposed to live happily ever after. Not this…not this.

The Scarlet Witch did all that she could to try and heal her son but nothing was working. Her powers couldn't save him from The Source, which left her feeling horrible as she dropped to her knees with her face buried in her hands.

Magneto, Quicksilver, and The Vision had no idea what to do. There was nothing that they could do to save the boy; they were utterly powerless as they had to watch him fade away.

Hulkling was utterly broken as Wiccan was completely gone now. His body faded away with tiny blue lights still flickering around before they too faded into nothing. Tears ran down his cheek as he had no idea what else to do. His mind went utterly blank now that his heart died along with his husband.

"And so let it be," laughed The Source. "The Child is dead and so goes your only chance at defeating me. Now, I there is nothing that can stop me from obtaining Ultimate Power!"

Lost in a sea of pain, Speed knew that he couldn't just allow The Source to get away with this. He felt his heart hammering against his chest as he clenched his fists together as tightly as he could, glaring at the Devil. Waves of green magic took form with a trail of blue following behind it as he felt something else building along with the pain.

Speed understood what it was as he felt a power that didn't belong to him. It was warm and full of hope, something that he never truly had in his life. The closest he came to such feelings was when he was with Kate and his brother. He understood that this was his brother's doing, this was Billy's power that he was sensing.

Launching himself forward, Speed allowed the magic to come to life. He wasn't going to hold back as everyone aside from Hulkling saw this drastic change in Speed as magic floated all around him. "The Child of Creation isn't gone," shouted Speed. "Billy might have sacrificed himself, but he gave his powers to me." Speed reached The Source and grabbed onto the Devil with all of his might. He used his newly acquired magic to bring them into the air, pushing them away from the battlefield. "You have to deal with me now, Source!"

The Source couldn't believe what he was seeing as he felt the magic that Speed wielded. This wasn't a lie; Speed truly did have the powers of Creation running through him now. Killing Billy didn't end the problem; it only marked his brother as the Child of Creation with Billy transferring his powers to enhance the ones that his brother already had.

Now he had another annoying problem to deal with.

Speed wasn't about to give in as he lost the one true thing he cared about. His brother was the closest person he had in his life. He hated himself for never admitting it, but he valued Billy's role in his life as much as Hulkling had. Billy was the most important person in his life because he was his brother and he always tried to get closer to him even when Speed pushed him away.

This was his chance to make it better. He owed Billy that much as he dragged The Source into the desert.

The two powers collided to the ground, but The Source reclaimed his dominance in the battle. He pushed Speed off of his body as he got back on his feet with the utmost of grace. The Source hurled a wave of fire from his body that burned the already hot desert but Speed defended himself by conjuring a wave of water from nowhere.

Speed charged forward, hurling bolts of green and blue magic from his hands. The Source protected himself with a shield of his own that caused the blasts to ricochet all around them. The Source was brutal though as he pushed Speed's magic far away. He laughed as he saw the spells fly all across the globe to crash into various building, houses, roads, bridges, and anything else that could kill lots of people.

Realizing the trap that The Source had dragged him into, Speed stopped this attack as he decided to go for a more direct approach. He clenched his fists together as he threw himself at The Source, hurling all of his magic at the Chaos to break through his defenses. The Source held the speedster turned witch back with all of his might but the two combined powers were different then what The Source had seen before.

But that didn't mean he was going to fall. The Source and Speed collided together, unleashing a blast of energy that kicked up a hell of a sandstorm.

* * *

Unaware of the pain that was going on within the castle and oblivious to the resumed fighting, the heroes continued their fight on the ground.

Iron Man flew through the sky, chasing after a group of Daemons. His sensors were able to lock onto most of them which prompted him to unleash a barrage of missiles that blasted the Daemons apart. Those that remained soon faced his repulsor blasts, getting torn into bits as he flew through what was left of them and looked down to see how the rest of his friends were doing.

Luke Cage and Iron Fist fought side by side to take down some Daemons. The man with the unbreakable skin charged through the Daemons, actually feeling some pain as he threw them all down. The dark-skinned man got knocked in the face by a thicker Daemon which hurt like hell, but he pushed back. He knocked the Daemon in the face with enough force that he was able to rip it off. As for his buddy, the Iron Fist, he was all about kung-fu as he faced his Daemons. He focused carefully on striking at their weak points with his fist. His muscles flexed in response underneath his white uniform as he took down as many of them as he could.

Further away, Storm used her weather manipulating abilities to attack the incoming Daemons. Even though there was fire coming down from the sky, she was able to bring down lightning and hail to attack her foes. This was a beautiful attack with ice pelting the Daemons as lightning zapped the life out of them. Her white hair flowed wildly from her motherly fury as she looked to the ground to see him fighting off more Daemons. It was the Black Panther that she was looking at, her ex-husband who fought bravely against these creatures. With all the skills that he mastered, he used them to his full advantage as he took down the Daemons where he would rip them apart with his panther claws.

Iceman whizzed past the rest of them on a stream of ice. He looked around to see just how many Daemons were running around before he jumped off the ice bridge to attack. He generated more ice from his body to create massive wall that he used to crush all of the Daemons that got caught under it. For those that got away, Iceman flung giant shards of ice from his body to rip them apart before going after more of these creatures.

Ms. Marvel was flying through a crowd of Daemons only to be caught by surprise by an Asian girl that she had never seen before. It was by a display of her power that Ms. Marvel understood that this was the girl that she had heard about from Doctor Strange. For a moment, she lost her breath as she watched Avatar fly through the Daemons with her superior strength being used to smash through the Daemons' organs as she charged her body into a photonic bullet.

Avatar flew back around to rejoin Ms. Marvel with a cocky grin on her face. This was a grin of a girl who claimed to be better than the original, causing Ms. Marvel to lose some of the pity she felt for her as she silently took off to fight the Daemons. Avatar was still smiling even after all that happened to her in her life, but she couldn't complain because she was fighting beside one of the coolest heroes around.

While on the ground Turquoise Boy found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. There were quite a few Daemons surrounding him as he tried to fight them all off. He felt one grab him by the shoulder and throw him into the air. He yelled loudly as he tried to get back to the ground as that particular Daemon laughed at him only to stop mid-laugh.

The Daemon went down to reveal a deadly woman standing over him. Turquoise Boy made it back to the ground only to huff as he saw that it was her. The Black Widow smirked at her old pupil before she jumped over him to kick the Daemon that tried to sneak up on him. Shaking his head at her, Turquoise Boy would get back on his feet and attack a Daemon that tried to catch her by surprise.

Both agents turned to each other with the Black Widow sharing a grin with him. It looked as if he was finally getting his act together to prove himself as a real agent. She had to admit that she was proud that he was finally making it as she turned her attention back on the battle. Turquoise Boy joined her as well as he backed her up just like in the old days.

More heroes were fighting with all of their might all around them.

Spider-Woman was firing venom blasts from her hands to poison a group of Daemons that had tried to ambush some Kree soldiers. Wolverine was using his claws to rip some Daemons to pieces with Skrull soldiers fighting alongside him. Spider-Man was spewing his webs to blind a few Daemons as Daredevil and Wonder Man would pummel them down.

Rogue would show off as she pushed Daemons down to the ground before swinging her legs around to knock them out. Havok would blast Daemons with all that he could as Domino ran passed them to shot more Daemons down that weren't as fortunate to escape. Beast would stomp plenty of them with his beastly reflexes as Thor brought down the thunder with the mighty Mjölnir.

* * *

All while Hell was breaking loose in the midst of tragedy.

Down on his knees with tears running down his face, Hulkling couldn't control himself as he broke down completely. He knelt down on the spot where it happened. It was right here that The Source killed Billy only moments before instead of him. The pain in his chest was too much for him to deal with even as he abandoned Speed, leaving him to fight The Source alone.

Above him, magical explosions went off as Speed and The Source went at it. Speed had absorbed all of the magic that Billy had in him in order to become the new Child of Creation. Speed never had the proper training but he fought as hard as Billy did.

Was this destiny? Was this what was meant to be? Billy was always meant to die and Hulkling was supposed to spend the rest of his life alone?

Hulkling clenched onto his chest as the question burned against his mind. It was just too much to even think about as he allowed his tears to run free as he threw his head back, slowly becoming aware of who was around him.

The Scarlet Witch covered her face with her hands as she cried too. She lost her son again, but this time at least one survived. It wasn't much of a comfort to a mother, especially with one who once had the power to raise the dead and who had nearly exterminated all of mutantkind. She was lost in her grief as she was embraced by her brother. Quicksilver looked down to the alien teen, feeling awful for him as well as for his poor nephews. He knew what that pain was like, having to go on while your twin was gone. Although, it turned out that Wanda was very much alive.

Magneto and The Vision stood beside each other, silent in their own grief. For Magneto, he lost a grandchild that he was just beginning to now and whom lived a life far braver and honorable then he could've ever hope to have. As for The Vision, he had to witness and feel the pain of losing his son once more just like Wanda did.

There was no comforting Hulkling as he lost the only thing he had left in his life. Billy was the one person he had left in his life. His birth parents have been gone since he was a child, the only woman he knew as a mom was dead, and now Billy had been so brutally taken from him. All those that he truly loved were gone, leaving him all alone in this world to bear the weight of his grief and suffering.

"Oh Billy," cried Hulkling. "Why? Why did this have to happen? Please…come back to me."

As a tear ran down his face and touched the ground, a loud explosion forced him to look away from this depressing sight. He turned away from the spot of Billy's death to see what had just happened as did the rest of them.

The Source stood proudly on the ground with Speed unconscious and on the ground. He kicked the new Child of Creation towards his brother's death site as a soft laugh escaped from his throat. The Primordial Chaos began to make his approach towards them with a ball of fire in his hand that was powerful enough to destroy them all.

"So it all ends now," said The Source. "Say hello to Billy for me."

Right when The Source was about to unleash his final attack upon them, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky. The attack came straight for The Source where it burned him for all of its worth as it struck.

Pain, physical pain rippled all across The Source's body now that he no longer had his connection to the Nexus. He was kept away from The All; leaving him vulnerable to such an attack that he felt was mystical in its origin. The Source dropped to one knee, physically feeling weak as he roared with anger at who dared to attack him.

While The Source's voice struck the air, another bolt of lightning came down from the heavens. It broke through the chaos that The Source had brought with him and struck the ground where he had killed Billy. Quicksilver had grabbed Hulkling and Speed to keep them from getting hurt by the attack. Hulkling tried to resist as he didn't want to move but even he was forced to stop as the ground started to glow.

A wave of light erupted from the spot, nearly blinding everyone that was present. Once the light cleared out though that is when they saw something that they weren't sure what to make of it.

On the spot where Billy had been killed stood a new figure. This figure was dressed in familiar looking robes. A red cape with yellow trimming blew in the breeze to cover up a blue suit that was fastened together by a yellow relic. The figure's hands were covered by leopard patterned gloves and the head was covered by a silver helmet that bore golden plating over the eyes with golden wings pointed upward on the sides.

Stripping the helmet from the head, the figure revealed itself to show himself to them. Hulkling nearly lost himself when he caught a glimpse of that face. Even The Source couldn't' believe what he saw as he started to pick himself up from his knees.

"How!" growled The Source. "You're dead!"

Tilting his head up, it was clear that it was Billy who had attacked The Source. Somehow, some way, Billy had been brought back as he clenched his fists together. "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty, which is more then I can say about you," said Billy. A slight breeze kicked in as Billy took a few steps forward to put himself closer towards The Source.

Feeling the air, the Scarlet Witch could tell that this Billy wasn't the same as the last one. The air was thick with magic, new magic that was coming from Billy that she had no idea what it meant. Was this really Billy or somebody else?

The Source didn't seem to care though as he prepared to do something about him. He picked up his hand to summon a new fireball of that he would use to destroy Billy permanently this time. Only, this time, Billy was ready for what The Source had to offer as he snuffed out the fireball in his hand with the flick of his wrist.

Astonished by this, everyone tried to understand what just happened. Even Speed, who was finally conscious, didn't believe that this was really Billy.

"Your power is nothing!" shouted The Source. "I will not be humiliated by a little brat like you! You will die again."

Throwing his cape back and tossing his helmet aside, Billy showed The Source just how ready he was for all of this. The mage released his power, filling the atmosphere with his power as he unleashed the power contained within. "I am not a brat nor is my power nothing," said Billy. "We end this here, Source. I will defeat you for I am the Sorcerer Supreme!"

And there it was, Wiccan was no more as Billy had somehow became the Sorcerer Supreme. The Source finally felt fear by Billy's declaration as his greatest enemy became that which he hated most.

The Child of Creation turned Sorcerer Supreme and The Source of All Evil, it was time for their final battle with the fate of the entire universe on the line.

* * *

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!

If anyone can guess where the spell came from that Wanda, Billy, and Tommy used against The Source then gets a cookie!


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: YAY for my two smart cookies, Mikepd and Algrandz, for figuring out that the spell was from Charmed! Also, I'm kind of surprised that none of you tried to kill me for temporarily killing Billy. Hmm...Alright. I was expecting a lynch mob outside my door but that's fine. Now, enjoy the epic, final battle chapter before the Young Avengers come to a close. Also! The poll on my profile is closed so that means we have a winner. It looks like the readers want me to write Power Rangers: Galactic Pirates so that will come out sometime in February. I have some details to work out so you should totally look out for that one. Read Power Rangers: Angel Force first though if you haven't already done so that way you'll understand PR:GP! Alright guys, now read and review!  
**

**Salvation is Here:**

_Teddy had always made sacrifices for me so it was about time that I did the same thing for him. At least that's what was going on in my idiot head as I put myself in front of one of The Source's fireballs. The pain was there only for an instant but then it was gone. I felt nothing else and now this is where I am…in a state of complete nothingness. _

"_You aren't lost, William."_

_Wait a minute! Did somebody just say my name? Wait…huh? I'm confused now._

"_There is no need to feel lost, child," came a voice I couldn't recognize. "Your noble sacrifice is to be honored. There is nothing nobler then one who is willing to surrender his life to protect those that he loves."_

_I'm still lost at what was going on. I couldn't feel my body so there was no way that I was speaking here. But I heard a voice and it could hear everything that I was thinking. What's going on here? I need an explanation._

_But then I felt something more touching me. It felt like I had my body back as something warm and inviting embraced me…it was what I felt every time Teddy held me. Oh…Teddy. _

_Why did I have to go and get myself killed? I already know the answer to that…I didn't want him to die either. I don't even want to imagine what was happening to him back on Earth. The Source must be having a field day with me dead. They all might be dead by now because I had to go and get myself killed. _

"_Don't be afraid, William," said the voice, again. "They are still safe. You made your sacrifice, ending your life as Wiccan. Your actions resulted in you losing your powers and transferring them to your brother, Thomas. You shared your destiny with him, marking him as the Child of Creation as well."_

_I still don't understand what's going on. So then I am really dead? That means I'll never get to be with Teddy or the rest of my friends ever again. What about Tommy though? Even if I gave up my powers and gave him my destiny, how can he defeat The Source? He doesn't have as much control as I do! He's still too new with magic._

"_You didn't listen to me," said the voice. "You gave up your old powers as Wiccan, but you didn't surrender your destiny to your brother. You are still a Child of Creation, all you did was alter the state of the prophecy to include the both of you. Now, you've open the path for you to attain a power greater then you could have ever dreamed as Wiccan." _

_What power? All I had were the powers I had as Wiccan. All I could do was tamper with probability like my mother, cast spells, fly, and use the powers of projection from the LifeForce._

"_I know what powers I gave you, William, but there is much more to you than that."_

_You're the LifeForce!_

"_I am The Source of All Life," said the voice. "You and Thomas wield the powers of Creation within you. Your powers of projection are still with you, William, as they were my gift to you. Thomas merely obtained your powers over probability and heightened spell casting. Now, there was another power within you that you never touched upon. This is a power that you need to awaken if you are to defeat my brother, The Source of All Chaos."_

_Hold on, LifeForce, I'm still trying to catch up with all that's going on. Why did you even pick Tommy and me to begin with? What's so special about us?_

"_The uniqueness of your births for starters," said the LifeForce. "Also when your mother, Wanda, absorbed a fraction of my power within her made it so that I would chose you. Now, it is time, William, for you to awaken the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme that slumber within you."_

_No way! I'm the Sorcerer Supreme? How is that even possible? Doctor Strange said that the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme were lost with Brother Voodoo._

"_Doctor Stephen Strange was wrong, William," said the LifeForce. "When Jericho Drumm surrendered his life to save the Earth, he expelled the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme from him so that they wouldn't be lost as well. The powers went to the most willing and appropriate host in order so that there would continue to be a Sorcerer Supreme. The powers waited until the time was right, it chose you when you faced Viktor Doom on your own in order to find your mother and to clear her name. The further sacrifice you made in order to restore her of her sanity made it certain that your soul was strong enough to withstand the duties that come with being the Sorcerer Supreme."_

"_Embrace the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme, William," said the LifeForce. "Use the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme and join hands with your brother so that you may stop my brother. The Source of All Chaos is too powerful to allow to grow unchecked. My brother must return to slumber before he can steal The All, the powers of our creator, and destroy the universe that we created together. Do this for me, William, because I cannot. I already broke my divine pact once to heal the world after the Civil War between the heroes, I cannot intervene again."_

_I trust you, LifeForce. Even though my mother went insane trying to use your powers, I understand that it was never her place to exploit you to begin with. I'll do as you ask if you can bring me back and let me be with Teddy and everyone else._

"_Oh William," said the LifeForce. "You were never dead to begin with. The powers of the Sorcerer Supreme saved your life, you are trapped on a higher plane. You are a Mage of Creation where your mother is a Mage of Chaos, my power is a part of you. Use it to return to your loved ones and to stop my brother from ending all of existence. As the One-Above-All, I believe in you. Blessed be, child."_

_Wow…how can I compete with that? I got a god that believes in me! Alright, I can do this. I believe in me. I believe that I can do this._

_I am Billy Kaplan, I am the Sorcerer Supreme._

_And I'm going to make a comeback!_

_Yeah, how nerd was that?  
_

* * *

Billy stood before The Source as the Sorcerer Supreme with all of the mystical elements that came with being the magical powerhouse. No longer was he the young, naïve mage that had a tendency to be an idiot. Now, Billy had evolved to be the defender of all that is good and right, the strongest sorcerer in the universe.

And here he was about to fight the greatest threat to the universe. The Source was boiling mad already because the Nexus had been stripped away from him, but he now had to deal with Billy coming back to life as his most hated foe. This was just positively infuriating to him, which made him hungry to destroy the boy. The feelings mutual as Billy wanted to get back at The Source for what happened to him.

It was a about damn time things were heating up.

Before Billy could spring into action, a firm grabbed him by the arm to keep him from going any further with his plan. Billy looked back to see that it was Hulkling that had him, looking at him with those big, sorrowful eyes that brought the sorcerer back to reality. He owed his husband an explanation, but The Source wasn't kind enough to give him the chance.

So Billy did what he could to borrow some time. He began to cast a spell, one that would temporarily immobilize The Source. At least he was hopeful in the spell that it would be powerful enough to do so. He created a ring of magic in the air with his finger then rapidly drew various symbols within the circle as the mystical knowledge of the previous Sorcerer Supremes entered his mind.

Placing his hand in the middle of the circle, Billy activated the spell without having to say a single word. A pair of glowing hands appeared from thin air then quickly snatched The Source before he had a chance to react. The Source howled angrily as the magic kept him at bay for the time being.

Billy quickly turned back to Hulkling, placing a heated kiss against his husband's lips. He felt Hulkling's grip loosening up on him as the kiss came to a close almost as quickly as it came. "I don't have much time to explain," said Billy. "My spell won't hold The Source for much longer. All I can say is that I'm back and I'm not going anywhere this time."

Hulkling didn't budge though as he continued to hang onto him. Billy could see the hurt without even looking his husband in the eyes, he only had to watch his body. "You were dead though," Hulkling said as tears started to run down his cheeks. "I saw you die."

"I wasn't really dead," Billy said as The Source was breaking free. "I was in Limbo…more or less. But I'm back now so that's all that matters." The howls of The Source were getting louder, which meant Billy was going to have to take action. His fists began to glow in response to this impending threat as he kissed Hulkling once more. "Now Tommy and I can defeat The Source, but first, I have some ass to kick."

The new Sorcerer Supreme abandoned them all as he pushed himself forward. He put himself back into harm's way just as The Source broke free from the mystical bounds.

The Source conjured a pair of fireballs from his hands which he began to throw at Billy. Every incoming attack managed to miss Billy with the sorcerer coming in closer towards his mortal enemy. This did not please The Source at all as he hurled a force of chaotic energy at the young sorcerer.

"I will kill you again!" shouted The Source. "You will not humiliate me!"

Billy pushed his arms forward, opening the palms of his hands. A stream of mystical energy began to burst free to compete against the power that The Source had unleashed against him. "Do you care to place a wager on that?" asked Billy. "I'm sure we can get Deadpool to work the booths? If not then you should really shut your fat mouth!"

Showing his cockier side, Billy pooled more mystical energy together to push The Source's attack back at him. Not even The Source could've foreseen such a power coming from Billy. The chaotic and mystical energies merged as one to crash against The Source with its full weight crushing him against a nearby wall.

The attack left The Source stunned, but he still wasn't vulnerable enough for Billy's liking. The Sorcerer Supreme knew that the spell wouldn't work until The Source was completely shattered, he needed something more.

Billy turned back to the others to see that Speed was back up on his feet. Speed wasn't really standing on his own though. He was leaning against their Uncle Quicksilver for support as the sorcerer embraced his brother for a moment.

There was a bit of panic as Speed looked to see that this person that he was hugging was really his brother. He had thought his mind was just playing tricks on him and this was all just some psycho hallucination from his nutso head. "Explain to me what happened!" said Speed. "You died! Then I got your powers! And I'm the Child of Creation! And now I'm fucking confused because you're alive."

"I shared my destiny with you, Tommy," said Billy. "You received all my old powers as Wiccan. You still have your molecular powers but your spell casting is stronger and you now have the powers of projection. If we pool our power together then we can defeat The Source."

Oddly enough, Billy had Speed's mind running around in circles for a change. This whole magic thing was a little too complex for him and his body was still killing him from the fight that he lost against The Source. "Umm…okay?" Speed said, trying to process everything. "Still confused, but I guess. I'm too tired though to help."

"Not for much longer," said Billy. "I can fix this." Waving his hand over his brother, Billy began to release magic that began to harmonize with Speed. It caused a pleasant glow to grow from Speed's body as the injuries he sustained from his battle against The Source began to heal. "You'll still need a few minutes to rest, but I can hold The Source off by myself until then."

"You're joking right!" said Hulkling. "I'm not going to let you face him alone."

Billy kissed Hulkling on the cheek to keep his husband from thinking. It was a good thing that he knew Hulkling's weaknesses or else he'd be screwed. "No other choice since only my powers can hurt him," said Billy. "I'll be back in a jiff! You guys just enjoy the show!"

It was the Scarlet Witch who tried to stop him this time. She had just watched her son die for the second time, she wasn't about to allow that to happen once more. There was no way that she would be able to stand it, none of them would. "No you don't, Billy!" shouted the Scarlet Witch. "You're gonna get yourself killed!" If there was one thing that should've stopped him, it was a mother's guilt trip. Magneto, Quicksilver, and The Vision didn't bother to interject since they knew it would be his mother that won in the end. The pain that they felt wasn't nearly as severe as hers, but they knew a fraction of it from what they felt when they saw Billy "die"

Her words went ignored though as Billy had already sprung back into battle against The Source. The sorcerer flew into the air with The Source rising once more to take him on directly.

The two powers collided with a grand explosion erupting in the sky.

Billy flew away from The Source with a hand on his shoulder. The Source's last attack hurt a little more than Billy was willing to let on, but he wasn't about to surrender. He used his injured arm to draw some complicated symbols in the air. The response was a bag taking form beside Billy which floated alongside him as it opened itself up.

The Source came from the smoke, laughing as he saw the bag. He clenched his deathly hands together before plucking a hair from his beard. "A bag of tricks?" said the Chaos. "Do you really think you can stop me by pulling out a bunny from a hat?"

"I don't," said Billy, "but these are a bag of knives."

A series of glowing knives began to emerge from the bag. There were over a dozen of them that Billy conjured then began to launch after The Source with the flick of his wrist. The Source's response to this was to use the hair that he extracted to create flaming whip that he used to throw the knives away before they could hit him.

However, one of the knives managed to make its mark and scratched against his flesh. A knife had proven to be successful in piercing The Source's arm. The Source began to feel hurt from the burning left behind by the knife as he tossed another fireball after Billy.

Raising his hand up, Billy created a misty breeze that snuffed the flames out. The sorcerer then began to conjure a lightning storm above them as he prepared to finish The Source. He knew that he couldn't afford to run this battle around too long so he had to do something to but the Devil down before it was too late.

The Source felt the same as he charged after Billy as lightning flashed all around them.

* * *

Outside of the castle and oblivious to the conflict still, the heroes of the Earth and their alien allies were busy with their battle against The Source's Daemons. The creatures were relentless, unwilling to slow down for even a second as more constantly replaced the ones that the heroes managed to defeat.

All around them there was battle. It was a miracle that they were able to survive the demonic horde that was overwhelming them. The only bright side to all of this madness was that it felt as though the Daemons had become weaker.

This was an opinion that all of them held as they fought the Daemons. The creatures were continuing to spawn in great numbers, but their firepower seemed to have deceased. Iron Man's logic was that the creatures were running out of power, but it was Doctor Strange who sensed the truth. The sorcerer could feel that the tide of the battle had greatly changed as the scales between good and evil had shifted in their favor. Even after what happened with the Phoenix, Iron Man was still a bit of skeptic when it came to mysticism.

Regardless, the heroes used this to keep pushing onward against the Daemons as they fought to keep the universe safe.

Wolverine was ripping Daemons to shreds as he moved through the warzone. This particular Apocalypse wasn't as gruesome as some of the wars that he had been through. He didn't have to witness good men die like animals, but it didn't make the situation any better. He was well aware that he came along after the worst of The Source's attack had already passed. All he could do know was to work as an Avenger and X-Man by avenging those that had been so brutally killed.

With his Adamantum claws, Wolverine slashed through a group of Daemons, while The Thing clobbered a pair with his stony fists. The two of them pushed onward as The Vision II blasted a few with his lasers, while Stature grew in size to sweep more Daemons away. She brushed them all to the side before stomping them down to the dirt with her gigantic foot. Once more, she shrunk down to size before the Daemons could catch up to her, this time though it was Wonder Man that flew in to save her.

He placed her back on the ground before hurling himself after the Daemons with his fists fully charged with energy as he smashed them to bits. The Invisible Woman was nearby, containing a band of Daemons with one of her force fields as she worked to crush them to death. Her brother, the Human Torch, was busy burning some away while Mr. Fantastic knocked several down with his elastic body.

Giant-Man worked to smash several Daemons to bits as he was surrounded in his gigantic form by several of these creatures. Ventus flew around him to create a bit of a vortex that sucked all of the Daemons in, keeping him from being swamped as she slammed them to the ground to break all of their bones to bits. Terra came in after her to finish another incoming wave of Daemons by stomping his feet on the ground several times to cause the ground to break apart to swallow these creatures.

Volt hurled numerous thunderbolts from her hands to zap away several Daemons into oblivion. Spider-Woman was blasting various Daemons with her venomous blasts as Valkyrie road in with her spear and sword in hand. The Asgardian easily tore the Daemons apart, while Mockingbird worked from the sidelines to clean up the mess that was made. War Machine was blowing up various Daemons from the sky as Captain Britain flew around to deliver punishment for the rest of them.

Armor shielded some Kree warriors from incoming attacks with Magma backing her up with a stream of super fire. Cannonball was coming in for a landing as he easily knocked down a dozen of the Daemons, while Primal ripped other Daemons to pieces. Deception confused his foes by conjuring nightmarish illusions to drive them into insanity. Falcon flew above them with his daughter, Lady Falcon, joining him in their pursuit of the Daemons. They released a stream of explosive feathers to destroy most of the Daemons, keeping them from getting any closer to the castle.

Hurling a tide of water after a band of Daemons, Aqua finished some of his foes with a single blow. He finished off a few more Daemons by piercing their flesh with spears of ice only to be caught by surprise by one of these creatures. It would've been the end of him if Spider-Man hadn't swooped in to pull him out of there first. Aqua took advantage of this to trap the Daemon in ice as the web-slinger got him to a safer place.

Aqua got back on his own feet quickly enough as he thanked the web-slinger. Spider-Man simply shrugged his shoulders before blinding a few Daemons with his webs. "No biggie, that's what I do," said Spider-Man. "So do you like conjure water because I don't see how you can do all those cool, watery moves in the middle of a desert."

A blast of water appeared behind Spider-Man, drowning the Daemons before freezing them to pieces. Aqua brushed his hands with that as he indulged Spider-Man's natural curiosity. "I don't conjure water," said the water-bender. "I pull water from the ground and atmosphere to use it as a weapon. It is harder to do in a desert, but I have had experience in this type of environment before."

"Oh cool," Spider-Man said before moving away to help some Skrull warriors.

A few feet away, Patriot knocked down a particularly large Daemon with Captain America. The Daemon was left for dead as the two of them turned their sights to the castle that stood before them. It was practically radiating with energy, almost in a nuclear manner as various explosions went off above it.

There were a lot of noises, showing that the battle there was getting as intense as it was down here.

The two Super Soldiers surveyed the area. They noticed how their friends and allies were torn up from all of the fighting, so were they. Clothes were torn, hair was a mess, blood ran down their bodies from cuts, and there were plenty of bruises to cover the state of Ohio. It was a complete mess; one that they hoped would clear up in the near future.

Continuing with the battle, Captain American and Patriot resumed their fight alongside their areas to put an end to the invading Daemons.

This battle had to end soon. They couldn't hold out like this much longer.

* * *

A battle unlike any other was brewing as Billy took The Source head on. The two powers collided, ripping the remains of Jerusalem asunder, while the heroes challenged the Daemons down below. Mystical explosions erupted from the sky with Billy striking The Source with every ounce of power that he had. The Source still withstood everything as he struck back with power that Billy had never seen before.

The new Sorcerer Supreme flew around, hurling mystical blasts of raw energy at The Source only to have them blocked by a wall of energy created by the Chaos. In response, The Source absorbed what he could from Billy's spells to create a spell of his own that he would use to tare the sorcerer apart. Various orbs of darkness began to take form all around The Source as he channeled his chaotic energy inside of them.

Billy attempted to stop this spell by conjuring a thunderstorm around The Source. The attack failed though as The Source absorbed the storm to further his own spell. Without hesitation, The Source unleashed his might upon the Sorcerer Supreme, firing a storm of magic that would surely destroy him.

It took every ounce of effort that Billy had to avoid getting hit. He tried to cancel out The Source's attack with a spell of his own but found that the power was not enough. The only other option he had was to outrun the spell and trying to get it to cancel itself out. Billy began to fly as quickly as he could; worming his body around until one of the orbs finally crashed into another while The Source chased him down also. The rippling explosion was massive in that it destroyed all of the other orbs, while it dragged The Source and Billy in its wake.

The spell caused the two to be transported on the other side of the globe.

Billy and The Source found themselves landing in the middle of downtown Manhattan. The city was fairly quiet, partly due to the ominous looking sky that hovered above the city and the fact that an Apocalypse was occurring. This came as a surprise to Billy since he was used to a noisy city, but his opponent didn't seem to care as he decided to unleash some carnage.

The Source threw his hands up to the sky to conjure a frightening storm. Lightning flashed all around them, until bolts struck various building to unleash a tide of destruction. Billy cried loudly as he saw thousands of lives being extinguished in an instant with The Source's attack only spreading. If the sorcerer didn't do something fast then The Source would destroy half the city in only a few minutes.

Drawing mystical energy from the atmosphere, Billy hurled a powerful eruption after the exposed Source. His attack was spot on and was successful in putting a stop to The Source's onslaught. The result though was Billy feeling a powerful pull as the two of them were instantly sucked out of the savaged Manhattan until they arrived to a new destination.

Billy looked around, feeling sweltering heat as he found himself floating above gigantic trees. It was then that he understood that he was in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest when he felt an intense wave of heat that wasn't related to humidity. The sorcerer looked back to see a wall of fire spreading wide with The Source bathed in the middle of it.

"Oh…no," cried Billy as he saw the senseless destruction. The sorcerer quickly got to work on counteracting The Source's attack before it was too late and the entire rainforest was lost. Storm clouds gathered around, drawing in the existence of the rainforest to speed the process up without endangering it.

Rain began to come down by the gallon, helping to extinguish some of the flames. It didn't help though to save the native people, the animals, and the exotic fauna that lived within. Billy glared at The Source who only laughed when they both felt the same tugging that had brought them here before.

Upon arrival in their next destination, Billy understood what was going on. The Source had done this all on purpose He wanted to show the sorcerer just how easy he could destroy the world without the Sorcerer Supreme being unable to do anything to save anyone.

This cycle continued several more times.

Billy fought The Source in the middle of London. Their attacks created a dangerous rippled that destroyed several bridges, while also five miles worth of space in the city. Once again, they were pulled from their current location where they arrived to the middle of an African jungle, outside of a fairly industrious city. The Source wasted no time in unleashing another attack upon the people residing there.

Fire came down from the sky, bombarding everything in senseless destruction. Billy could feel the pain of everyone there as he conjured a powerful barrier to attempt to protect those who survived from the fires. The mystical ripple pulled them further away until they arrived to various islands in the middle of Southeast Asia. Billy watched in horror once more as The Source created a gigantic tsunami. Billy created a barrier around himself to keep himself from drowning in the attack before he attempted to quickly save the people from the incoming wall of water. He used his magic to diminish the volume of the wave down the best that he could, but it still wouldn't be enough to save everyone.

It kept getting worse from there. The Source tore Tibet to pieces in a massive earthquake. The U.S.'s Midwest was blown off the map with dozens of tornados. Smog tainted all of the air in Japan, a meteor came from the sky to destroy half of Mexico, and a blizzard froze nearly all of Russia to death.

The Source finally brought Billy to the arctic for their last battle. Billy had enough with all of the pain and death that he saw as he brushed his frozen tears away from his face. Magic erupted from Billy's body as he channeled all of the suffering that occurred around the world to do something about The Source. Not that The Source really believed that Billy could do anything to slow him down.

The Source tore icebergs apart, lifting the broken fragments up into the air where he hurled them after the sorcerer. Unleashing a torrent of magic, Billy would push the icebergs aside before releasing various, mystical chains from his hands that he would use to ensnare The Source with. He began a new spell where he used the chains to hold The Source in place, while muttering various words together to change the tide of the battle.

Howling angrily, The Source failed to break free as Billy dragged him back to the ruins of Jerusalem. The Sorcerer Supreme released his spell to unleash a cyclone of mystical energy to strike The Source with, which hit its mark perfectly. Billy had summoned the life essence of the people whom The Source had been responsible for killing in order to make the demon feel the pain that he had reaped upon them.

It didn't bring an end to The Source nor did it make it time to release the spell.

But Billy was happy that he could do that much for everyone that he suffered by his hands.

* * *

Leaving the ruined castle, Hulkling led the Maximoffs and The Vision out of there to find a sea of Daemons waiting outside. The battle went wild with their friends taking on The Source's minions, while Billy was busy fighting against their master. They pushed through the creatures that blocked their path, moving forward so that they could reach Billy in his time of need.

The Scarlet Witch unleashed a tide of chaos magic that crippled many of the Daemons. It was Speed who responded next, now that he was fully recovered, by unleashing a spell of Creation that drifted into his mind. He projected the powers that connected him to the LifeForce, uttering a chain of words that struck the Daemons all at once. His powers bound all of the Daemons together into a ball of light that hovered in the air above them.

The spell ended the battle before any of their allies could've been killed in the conflict. Speed earned himself plenty of applause by this mystical feet for finally putting an end to the Daemons. The Avengers, the X-Men, and their alien friends all gathered around them with the Young Avengers and Organization at the front of the pack.

Patriot tried to get some information out of them with what happened, but he was quickly silenced by the ground shaking. They all were silenced as they looked to see two blasts of mystical energy in the sky that made the ground tremble before it. It took some time, but they eventually realized that it was Billy and The Source, continuing their earlier battle.

After some time, a lone figure fell from the sky towards the orb that Speed had contained the Daemons in. Everyone assumed that it was Billy who had been defeated, prompting them to immediately rush over there. But the crowd of superheroes came to a stop when the second figure descended from the sky to keep them away.

It was Billy who stopped them, having come out victorious against his mystical duel against The Source. This was unbelievable to those who hadn't witnessed the battle from the castle. Hulking and Speed were on Billy faster than anyone else could've gotten to him. Their arms nearly suffocated him as the young sorcerer was pulled up by his brother and his husband.

"Choking here!" cried Billy.

They put him back down on the ground while everyone else drew near to understand what was going on. Doctor Strange was the loudest out of them as he was astonished that Billy was wearing robes virtually the same as the ones that he wore as the Sorcerer Supreme.

"It's because I am the new Sorcerer Supreme," said Billy. When he saw the conflict on the sorcerer's face, Billy decided to fill him in. In fact, he owed everyone a brief explanation on what was going on before The Source got back on his feet. "Yeah, it turns out that the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme weren't lost after all. Doctor Voodoo released the power before he died and they migrated towards me. It only took transferring my powers as Wiccan to Tommy and dying to figure out that I had the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme sleeping inside me."

Hawkeye raised her hand up as she tried to question what just happened. She didn't get the chance to throw her two cents in the bucket though as a mighty roar forced them all to turn their sights back on The Source.

Their greatest enemy was back on his feet and was radiating with pure Chaos Magic. The Scarlet Witch urged caution for them all, while they watched as The Source straightened himself out from the injuries he sustained from his duel. He was boiling over now with his anger becoming uninhibited. The Source gazed out to all of his enemies gathered here before him when he took notice to the orb in the sky that contained his Daemons.

"I will not be humiliated again," said The Source. "I will not allow another Sorcerer Supreme to bind me in Oblivion again!"

Waves of chaos energy erupted from The Source as he attempted to make the heroes cower before him. They all flinched, trying not to be so easily swayed by The Source's power. It proved to be difficult though since The Source was showing them just why he was The Source of All Chaos.

It was then that he took in a deep breath that made the wind itself bow to him. The process led to the orb that Speed had contained the Daemons in to be pulled into the whirlwind that The Source was creating. Billy tried to push the orb away from him, but it was too late. The Source devoured the orb in one gulp just as another wave of energy burst forth to lash out against the assembled heroes.

His evil, chaos energy began to spread everywhere until it consumed the entire planet. The power was proving to be too much for them to stand, leaving them unable to push back against The Source until they saw just what it was that he had done. The cloud of darkness eventually cleared out with a demonic laugh filling the air as thunderous sound caused the ground to tremble and made their knees buckled.

As the darkness cleared, the heroes found themselves looking a whole new Source.

Taking in the demonic energy of his Daemons, The Source regained all of his power that had been drained from his battles against Billy and Speed. It didn't end there though as the disruption in the balance of power allowed The Source to claim The Nexus once more. This time though, The Source had greater access as he was able to pool in the energies from all The Nexuses until he was nearly one with The All.

And to go with this new power, The Source appeared in a new form. He appeared as the demonic image of the Devil of legend. Standing before the heroes was a giant that easily towered over them with flesh made of stone that bore bloody, lava veins that rippled over his terrifying form. He stretched his stone fingers while slamming his cloven hooves on the ground. His face was made of this same stone as a pair of giant horns stood out from his head.

The Source's dark laughter deafened them as he brought himself down to one knee. His dark eyes gazed upon them all to show just how far his reach was now that he was almost to the greatest power. "Does my true form disturb you, mortals?" said The Source. "It needn't matter. It is almost time for you all to perish as I claim the powers of The All for myself! There is nothing that can save you now."

There was a buzzing in the air as a speck slammed into The Source's shoulder. The giant looked to see the speck returning to its owner only to see that it was the shield of the Star-Spangled Man.

Captain America caught his shield and lifted it up in front of him. His act of defiance against The Source didn't go unnoticed by anyone as this simple action reinvigorated their bodies for a higher battle. "You might want to reconsider, Source," yelled Captain America. "You're the one that needs saving." He turned towards his friends and comrades, nodding his head at them to signal that it was time for them to show their worth. Clenching onto his shield, the Super Soldier threw his fist up into the air. "Avengers Assemble!"

The mightiest heroes on the battle all charged into battle against The Source. Despite the power that he wielded, despite the odds that were against them...none of that mattered! They were all willing to do whatever it took and make any sacrifice that was necessary in order to ensure that this god didn't get what he wanted.

The Source was amused by the rebellious mortals as he stood before them in his gigantic form. He fueled his new body with the powers that he had stolen from The Nexuses to make himself stronger than before. He met their resistance and laughed from everything that they tried to throw his way.

Lightning came down from the sky as Storm and Thor brought down the sky.

Ms. Marvel, Noh-Varr, and Avatar unleashed every blast of photonic energy that they had in their bodies. The Kree weren't too far behind them as they too joined in the firing squad, blasting The Source with everything that they had.

Kl'rt led all of the Super Skrull against The Source, striking him with the abilities that they had copied from the Earth's heroes.

Wolverine jumped on top of the giant foot, slashing his claws against the hard flesh. The Thing and Luke Cage were pummeling The Source as best as they could with their hardened fists. Iceman circled all around The Source, blasting him with chilling ice as Spiderman followed his trail to fire webs to slow the god down.

Iron Man led a firing squad of his own as the others calmed down. He had War Machine, The Visions, and some extra soldiers from the Kree and Skrull. They rained down their full arsenal of missiles and high-powered laser blasts against The Source. Spider-Woman led the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, Angel, the Falcon, Lady Falcon, Domino, Boom Boom, and Magma to slow The Source down in the wake of Iron Man's failed attack. They hurled every blast of their energy based attacks after him, stalling for some more time.

Gathering some friends, Psyclocke had a plan of her own brewing. Rachel Summers, Legion, Karma, and Kid Omega against The Source. They attempted a psychic assault in severing the bridge that connected The Source to the Nexuses. It was a brilliant plan, but one that would prove to be a failure as even their combined abilities over the mind weren't enough to do the deed.

Havok and Dazzler attempted fired their strongest blasts only to prove as unsuccessful as the others. The Hulk, Red Hulk, and She-Hulk tried as well by using their superior might to attempt to overthrow The Source from his feet only to fail as well.

Mockingbird followed the Hawkeyes in a second assault. Sharon Carter also joined them as she armed them the best that they could. They fired everything that they had, but The Source shrugged off their attacks like it was nothing. Even as Cannonball smashed against his body, he felt utterly nothing as he brushed off the attack.

Surge and Volt tried to throw him off by hurling electricity after him. Deception conjured his illusions into reality to surround him. The electricity sparked as the illusions kept The Source distracted for a moment. Black Panther hurled his explosive daggers as Sunspot was firing solar blasts alongside Northstar. Wonder Man, Captain Britain, and Warpath attempted to use their might as the Hulks had done, but proved to fail as badly as they had.

Gambit flung his kinetic blasts with Rogue slamming her fists against The Source, while Hope Summers copied all the powers that she could. Hope was overloading herself, but she refused to slow down as she tried pushing The Source back. Without the Phoenix though, there was only so much that she could do as she angrily avoided getting stepped on.

Aqua threw up a wave of water against The Source, while Ventus blew a tornado against him as Terra tried to use the earth to swallow him. All of it failed though as the trio was forced to retreat along with many of the other heroes.

There was only so much that could be done against a force that was older than the universe and had absorbed all of the power possible. It would take a miracle at this point to beat The Source, which they were quickly running out of at this point.

But Billy was trying to cook one up though with Speed and Doctor Strange. He watched as his mother struck The Source with a barrage of hexes, attempting to buy them a little bit more time to think. He turned to the spell in hand, the one that Doctor Strange had given him to strip The Source of his connection to The Nexus.

"It won't be powerful enough anymore," Doctor Strange said to Billy. The older sorcerer approached the boy with Speed following him. Their eyes were on The Source as they tried to come up with a solution on dealing with their foe. "We can no longer send The Nexus powers away, but we can try something else. It will be risky though."

Speed could see where this was going as he popped up in front of the sorcerer. "You're talking about stealing The Source's powers?" asked Speed. "Is that even possible? Won't we go insane with all of that power like with what happened to mom?"

Across from them, Giant-Man extended to his gigantic size. He attempted to topple The Source down, but the Primordial Chaos ended up pushing Giant-Man to the ground. Giant-Man shrunk down to normal size though before he could crush anyone with Angel catching him.

"Only if anyone of us were to take the power," said Doctor Strange, "but I believe in the two of you. I think that if either one of you were to take The All away from The Source then you will be able to withstand the power for some time. You're different then your mother because you are part of a Primordial Force."

Distracted from Giant-Man's attack, The Source didn't see Stature coming in from behind. She used her giant size to her advantage to kick The Source as hard as she could from the back. The Source felt the pressure just as she was shrinking down to normal size with Hulkling catching her this time. Thor flew in from behind The Source was Storm created a thunderstorm above them. He took the thunder and slammed The Source with it, inflicting a respectable amount of damage that would've defeated a lesser foe.

Down below, Billy looked away from the fight long enough to turn to Doctor Strange and Speed. He knew what it was that the elder sorcerer was talking about. "The LifeForce," said Billy. "Its power will protect us from The All long enough for us to defeat The Source."

Further away, Captain America threw his shield at The Source, scratching a part of his upper thigh. As the shield was coming back, Patriot swooped in to catch it before flinging it back after The Source to hit the same spot that Captain America had hit. The second round caused The Source to flinch as Captain America caught it, but the damage didn't last longer than a second.

Up above, Iron Man gave the Black Widow a ride as War Machine did the same for Turquoise Boy. The two agents flung the most powerful grenades that S.H.I.E.L.D. had to offer, making the target that they wanted. The Source had opened his beastly mouth in the wrong moment and swallowed the grenades. A powerful explosion went off inside him, which should've been the end, but The All was keeping The Source alive as he belched fire.

Avoiding the burn, Speed pushed himself to the side. He briefly noticed Magneto and Quicksilver failing to do much better against The Source. "Then let's go for it!" said Speed. The faster twin rushed off into battle just before Billy could do a thing to stop his brother.

Billy flew after Speed when he spotted the Scarlet Witch casting a spell. A trail of red light fluttered out of her body, rushing quickly towards Speed without the speedster even noticing the magical hit. Realizing just what it was that she planned, Billy flew higher into the air, realizing that Speed now had the power to strip The Source of The All. Speed had his own magical powers, Billy's old powers, and a portion of their mother's powers. Speed had access to the power of three mages; it meant he had the magical essence necessary to break The Source.

So Billy prepared to hold The Source down so that his brother could work his mojo. Letting a few words escape from his lips, scattered letters began to surround him all of which came from various, ancient languages. He waved his finger around in a circle with a blue ring taking form to connect all of the letters together as an outer ring appeared as well. Placing his hand in the center of the ring, Billy pushed his spell at The Source just as Speed was nearing their foe.

The spell scattered, creating four rings that flew all around The Source. Attempting to display his dominance, The Source fought off the attack only to fall for the trap that was created by the young Sorcerer Supreme.

The Source found his fists trapped upon hitting the rings. His feet were bound as well just as he attempted to kick them away from him. Feeling the pressure upon him even with his growing connection to The All, The Source roared in frustration with the spell binding him. He was trapped as a stature with all of the heroes gathering around; while Billy floated down to join them.

"Hey bitch!"

The Source looked down to see Speed racing up his body. The novice mage threw himself off The Source's body and took to the air with his fist glowing in mystical energy. Speed could feel the magic as he threw himself back at The Source, delivering one punch against the massive giant. Oddly enough, the attack hurt as it did exactly what the twins had planned. With The Source bound and unable to absorb more of The All, Speed was able to use his magic and the powers of his family to reverse the flow of power.

Now, The All was rushing into Speed's body as The Source finally felt the weight of the heroes that had attacked him. Speed was lost in an insane rush as he felt the Ultimate Power in the whole multi-verse running circles around inside of him. This was a type of speed that should drive a man insane, but Speed's innocence and the strength of his heart were able to resist the temptation that came with such power.

Speed pushed himself away from The Source until he was finally back on the ground with his brother rushing towards him. Inside of him, Speed felt so many tingles from The All, but he swallowed it all down as he looked up to the outrage that The Source was belting out every second. The Source tried to break free from the chains that held him, but Billy's spell was powerful enough to hold him down now that The All was stolen from him.

Billy turned to Speed, noticing the power trip that his brother was going through. He stood beside his brother and took his hand to take some of that burden off of his hands. The All began to merge with both of the twins, transcending them to a higher level as they shared the power to do something incredible.

"We wrote the spell together," Billy told Speed. "We should say it together."

Feeling some of the stress leave him, Speed nodded his head at him. He tightened his grip on Billy's hand so to strengthen their connection to The All. They smiled as they felt The Source of All Power granting its blessing upon them. They knew that it was time to use the powers of The LifeForce, The Source of All Creation, against The Source of All Chaos.

It was all about to end.

Billy started it off as he turned his sights on The Source. "From Ancient Times this Power came," said the Sorcerer Supreme. "All to Fear and none to Reign."

"Ancient Forces Black and White," recited Speed. "Reaching out through Space and Time."

The brothers squeezed each other's hand as they felt that it was time. "Take Him now and show no mercy," said the twins. It was time to end the terror and Hell that The Source had unleashed upon them. "For this Power can no longer be!"

An explosive wave of energy erupted from the twins as The All responded to their spell. Their deep connection to The LifeForce brought herself out, pushing The All's power with her to lash against The Source. The colossal blast shook The Source, forcing a terrifying howl to be ripped out from his throat.

Still, The Source was still standing as this giant titan hung his head down in shame. The pain that came from the spell was real, proving that the twins were on the right track as they prepared to cast the spell again.

This time though, they weren't going to be alone.

Billy felt familiar pressure on his hand as he turned his head to the side to see Hulkling there. His husband kissed the sorcerer's forehead before pulling back to turn his sights on The Source. "I may not have any magical powers," said Hulkling, "but I believe in magic and I believe in the both of you. You won't face The Source alone this time." Squeezing Billy's hand to show just how serious he was about this, Hulkling focused on the pain he felt when he thought he lost Billy as he wanted The Source to feel that pain. "Take everything that I can give you. Use it to defeat The Source."

"Amen!"

Hawkeye stepped forward as she took Speed's free hand. She held it up, proudly showing just how ready she was to help them. Speed couldn't help but to grin at her when he noticed the others coming forward. The rest of the Young Avengers and the former Organization came forward to join them in their attempt to defeat The Source. Noh-Varr and Kl'rt also joined them as they found a place amongst the young heroes and their new allies.

Together, the young showed their willingness to fight, and The All showed its willingness to help.

"From Ancient Times this Power came. All to Fear and none to Reign," they recited together. "Ancient Force Black and White. Reaching out through Space and Time. Take Him now and show no mercy. For this Power can no longer be!"

Once more, the spell triggered a wave of magic to erupt from their being. Billy and Speed took what power that their friends had to offer them, while they took power from The All to make the spell stronger. Their energy pushed The Source to the edge, forcing him to bear the weight of the power that they had within them.

The Source was torn as the spell pushed its way through. His pain was loud, but it still wasn't enough. Breaking through, the spell had reverted The Source back to the smaller form that they had seen before. Billy's older spell though still had him chained, bound and unable to do anything else as he was left completely vulnerable.

"We have to say it one more time!" said Billy.

"We really need you to mean it!" said Speed.

They prepared themselves to recite the spell once more only to be stopped. They were surprised to hear this, but they found themselves pleased by what they saw.

Captain America, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Storm came forward to join the young heroes. It was time for the Avengers and the X-Men to truly earn their redemption for the senseless war that they had that allowed all of this to happen. Their actions brought the rest of the Avengers and X-Men forward in response.

The Scarlet Witch, Magneto, Quicksilver, and The Vision I was amongst the first to join them. Doctor Strange also found himself in the heart of the crowd as he turned to the twins that he once believed were just magical constructs. He had never been happier then he was now to be proven wrong as he saw for his own eyes that William Kaplan and Thomas Shepherd were something far greater.

The twins were the world's Messiahs.

Joined by everyone there, by every mortal, by every superhuman, and by every alien, everyone joined hands to put an end to The Source. Billy and Speed pooled all of this energy together with The All elevating it to a level that was impossible for anyone to comprehend.

"From Ancient Times this Power came. All to Fear and none to Reign. Ancient Force Black and White. Reaching out through Space and Time. Take Him now and show no mercy. For this Power can no longer be!"

The words entered the air with The All taking it to heart. The spell erupted into a final blast that would truly be the end of The Source. The wave rushed forward and pushed itself against The Source, punishing him for all of the crimes that he had committed. The agony of the live lost and the senseless destruction he wrote.

The rings that bound The Source began to release him only to create a giant tunnel behind him. The spell pushed The Source through each of the rings, shattering his being with each ring that he passed through.

Billy and Speed ripped themselves away from their friends to put an end to this nightmare. It still wasn't over though as The Source passed through the final ring. Sensing the opportunity that they had, the twins followed what The All told them to do as they spread out.

Everyone watched at a loss at what the boys were trying to do.

It was Speed who started things off as he floated in the air. Orbs of light began to form all around him before he finally fired it as The Source entered the final ring. The ring sealed itself off to show that The Source would no longer be a threat just as the orbs circled around it, rapidly, to form a shield. What would've been a giant explosion that could've killed some of the heroes, ended up being contained by Speed's spell.

The spell contained the brewing inferno as Billy put himself above it. The young Sorcerer Supreme brought his hands together, clasping them into a prayer that he said silently for a moment. The energy from the explosion began to drift away from Speed's spell as it entered the body of his brother instead.

The raw energy brought forth from The Source of All Chaos's defeat began to harmonize with The All and the LifeForce. Billy used this power, creating a greater enlightened version of himself when Speed flew up to reach his power. This higher power needed to be shared and balanced as the twins joined hands to bring about the end to the nightmare.

One more spell still needed to be cast.

"Balance lost through Chaos's disorder," chanted the brothers. "Lives stolen through Chaos's hate. A crime against all, a punishment paid. Now the balance is to be restored. The world returned before Chaos's freedom. The lives of innocents restored. And their memories masked for progress to make."

The All was released from Billy and Speed with this final spell. Their words didn't go ignored though as healing light quickly began to spread throughout the world.

A rush of energy came forth to restore the world as it was before The Source had been released . All of the damage done by The Source was reversed as the twins had used The All to heal the world of its scars.

Everyone was astonished by what occurred as they saw Jerusalem being restored to what it was. That was only the beginning though as the rest of the world was healed. Doctor Strange saw this from his mind, seeing all the cities be rebuilt, lives being restored, and nature to regrow to its previous state. Everything was fixed by these boys, proving just how extraordinary the Young Avengers for accomplishing this task.

Billy and Speed descended back to the ground, exhausted from the sudden loss of power. They dropped to their knees just as they found themselves surrounded by everyone that they cared for or at least thought better of now.

Hulkling swept Billy up, carrying him with both of his arms. He noticed just how tired Billy was from this great, magical feet and thought that he was lucky to be married to him. Hawkeye helped to get her boyfriend back on his feet as well, but she didn't carry his heavy butt so he just had to settle for leaning against her for support. Speed was just as tired as his brother was, but he was glad to be with his girlfriend right now.

There were cheers and there was warm embraces. The twins were proclaimed as heroes by defeating The Source. All were relieved by this, knowing that the greatest evil ever was gone and was never going to come back.

At least until Billy popped that bubble.

"The Source isn't dead," said the exhausted sorcerer. "He can't be killed, only banished. If we had erased The Source from existence then it would've been just as bad if he had won. The universe needs balance, Chaos is necessary to maintain the balance just as Harmony is needed."

"But he's not coming back," laughed Speed. "Billy and I made sure of that by creating a seal stronger than the ones used to contain him last time. We also made sure to cover those pesky loopholes that these bad guys love to exploit."

"As long as the world is safe then we can't complain," said Captain America.

"Yeah, I can finally go on vacation," said Wolverine, "and get back to the institute."

They were all in agreement with that as they wanted to return to their lives.

There were still many loose ends to close though, especially with the Kree and the Skrull. Hulkling told the aliens to wait a little while longer, at least until his love was well rested and they could have a proper ceremony.

All of that would have to be deal with on another day. They were all too tired from the battle to do anything else but sleep. So they all began to leave just as the last traces of The All returned from whence it came as the Earth was healed from the scars of war.

* * *

Guess that spell that Billy and Tommy used to defeat The Source. It combines two different spells together, both of which are from Charmed. :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: It all ends here. The final chapter is up and now I am done telling my stories of the Young Avengers. I hope you all enjoyed reading the fic and I'd like to thank everyone for their support these last couple of months. I don't know what else to say but thanks again. Those of you who are interested, Power Rangers: Galactic Pirates will be up in February. Well...enjoy the final chapter. Love, Xeikm.  
**

**Room for One More:**

_When the men and women of the world had gone off to war, the children stayed behind to protect their homes. The children would learn that a horror unlike any other was coming for them, a threat so power that not even the men and women at war could save them. The children weren't afraid though; they faced the evil and proved themselves to be stronger then the adults that they idolized. _

_The Young Avengers challenged the face of true evil. What was left of their youthful innocence had vanished as the villain that they faced had not a drop of humanity within him. His soul was mad, his heart was nonexistent, and he violated everything without reason only to further his own objectives. The Source was a power that none could compete with, at least that's how it was before Billy and Tommy embraced their destinies. _

_A prophecy said that there was only one. One Child of Creation, but the reincarnated sons of the Scarlet Witch were known for their defiance of the natural order. Billy found a loophole without even trying as he shared his powers with his brother to mark Tommy as the Child of Creation. The twins stole the powers of The All, the Nexus of All Existence, from The Source. The twins challenged The Source, challenged his authority, and came out victorious in the end as they banished the Ultimate Evil to furthest reaches of Oblivion._

_Outside of time and space is where they imprisoned The Source. The prison stronger than the old one that contained him would keep The Source bound until the end of time. Billy and Tommy proved themselves as the most powerful mages in the universe for doing what was once thought impossible. _

_And now there was nothing left for them to fear in this world._

_The children had faced the purest evil that there ever was and came out stronger because of it. They had been pushed to the edge. Had their minds and bodies violated. And yet they still managed to stand hand-in-hand as they uttered the spell to banish The Source._

"_From Ancient Times this Power came. All to Fear and none to Reign. Ancient Forces Black and White. Reaching out through Space and Time. Take Him now and show no mercy. For this Power can no longer be."_

_The spell defeated The Source and saved the universe from doom. _

_The Source's plan was eliminated. His quest for destruction of all life in order to create a universe that he deemed "perfect" had been stopped by children. The oldest being in the universe had been conquered by a group of children that had once been looked down upon as being nothing more than sidekicks. _

* * *

Billy sat outside his bedroom window as he looked out to the city, thinking back on everything that has happened these last couple of months. It was one hell of a ride now that he thought about it all at once. So many things have happened to him, a lot of bad things, but also a lot good came out of it too.

For starters, the ring on his finger was proof enough of that benefit. He played with his pretty ring as he thought about the amazing alien that he was now married too. It was kind of cliché and romantic to have gotten married during the end of the world, but it seemed to reflect how their relationship has been through the last couple of months. Teddy and him have gone through a lot of trials before finally reaching this point in their lives.

What were they supposed to do now was a mystery though to the young sorcerer.

What was next for them? They were married now so it would be expected that they move in together, but how was that going to work? The Kree and the Skrull weren't going to leave without Teddy. He was going to have to pick a side and leave the Earth for possibly forever. Where did that leave Billy then? Could Billy go with him or did his duties as the Sorcerer Supreme mean that he could never truly be with his husband?

Billy had a lot to think about as he finally crawled out from his window, phasing through the physical boundaries with his magic. He landed on his carpet where he looked over to his bed to see the items that Doctor Strange left for him. They were items that the Sorcerer Supreme would need, which Billy didn't have the chance to go through yet. There were a lot of texts there, but there was also a great deal of relics that he had no idea what they did.

All in due time though. With The Source gone, Billy had a lot of time to figure out this Sorcerer Supreme thing, including coming up with a new name. Wiccan was gone now and he wasn't exactly worthy of being called Doctor Kaplan. His parents would have a fit with that seeing as he didn't have a PhD of any kind or a medical doctorate.

That's when the guilt started to settle in as Billy levitated the items from his bed. What was he supposed to do about his family? He had two families to worry about, three now that he had to include the new life he was starting with Teddy. How was he supposed to balance all of them with the responsibilities that came with being the Sorcerer Supreme? It's impossible to be there for his brothers' birthdays and award assemblies, find time for the Maximoffs, and be a good husband to Teddy when he's busy trying to fight Mephisto and Dormammu.

Ignoring some of his thoughts, his closet door opened up just as his bedroom door opened as well. He failed to see his mom coming in just as he brought all of the items into his closet, putting them inside.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be more surprised with," said his mother. "Should I be more freaked out by your magic or the fact that you just used your magic to hide junk in your closet?"

Billy couldn't help but to chuckle as he opened his door back up for his mom to see what he did. "I didn't just throw them into a closet," Billy began to explain as she got closer. The look on her face was one of pure surprise as she saw what lurked inside. "I placed them in my study." Inside his closet was the study that any sorcerer would be proud of having. Billy had placed a spell within his closet to serve a portal to a private space that he would use to contain his magical items and to further his study of the mystic arts.

The look was slightly similar to what Doctor Strange had, only far more contemporary and nerdy to fit Billy's needs. The walls were wooden panels that featured various molding, all of which was painted dark. Posters were hung up on the walls of various nerdy things that he liked along with the comic books scattered about. Other precious items lurked in there, everything that couldn't fit in his room mostly. And there were the bookcases that contained his occult items, all of which had been gifted to him by various mages from throughout the world in order to welcome the new Sorcerer Supreme.

Billy closed the door shut, sealing his spell before opening the door once more to reveal an ordinary closet. This time, his mother knew exactly what to say when she saw that.

"You're cleaning your room, William Kaplan," said his mother. "I don't care if you saved the world or married or Merlin, you're going to clean your bedroom so long as you live under my roof!"

She left after that, leaving Billy to really question about his earlier thoughts. Maybe it would be a better idea for him to leave the nest. Or maybe not, since he was able to clean his room simply by snapping his fingers.

* * *

Time went by as Cassie finally returned to her old life, at least the best that she could. She resumed living under her mother and stepfather's roof, but it would be difficult to explain how she was suddenly back from the dead. Lucky for her that Tony Stark pooled some of his resources together to send Cassie to a private academy in the city while also relocating their house to a different neighborhood.

It was a big city so it was pretty easy to hide things. Granted, her stepfather had a bit more work to do since he had to work harder in hiding the fact that his stepdaughter was back from the dead.

Cassie and her family did the best that they could though. Things eventually settled down enough for them to where things began to feel back to routine now that over a week has passed since the Young Avengers had averted the Apocalypse.

But not everything was better yet. There was still one crucial thing missing from her life and that was her father. None of the Avengers had any luck finding Scott Lang through conventional means, all her magical friends, especially Billy, offered to use magic to track him down. Cassie didn't want to go that far though since she feared what the consequences that came with magic.

So she just stayed silent as she dealt with the ache she had for wanting to be reunited with her father.

That was about to end though as she had received a call from The Vision II earlier that day. He told her to come to the headquarters because he had something important to show her. So she rushed over there, curious as to what he meant only to be in for the surprise of her life when she entered the building.

The Vision smiled as he stepped aside to reveal his surprise. Standing behind him was a man a few years shy of being middle-aged with hair that was a mix of red and blond. He had a sturdy, muscular frame but a mind that would put many to shame with a warm smile that he sent to his little girl.

"Cassie," said Scott Lang.

A heavy body landed against him, causing Scott to nearly lose his balance as his daughter rammed into him. His arms immediately found their way around her though to see that it was really true. She was warm and real, his little girl really was alive.

"Dad!" Cassie shouted as she held him as tightly as she could. She refused to let him go and he felt the same way as he held her close.

"I didn't believe The Vision when he told me," Scott said as he held her. "I thought it was just some cruel joke, but here you are, baby girl. I can't believe it's possible."

Cassie hugged him, all while turning her teary face over to The Vision. Now she understood what he had been doing these last couple of days. She thought he was being suspiciously distant with her, it was because he had been busy tracking her dad down.

She owed him big time.

The Vision didn't care though about a debt. All that he cared about was making Cassie happy, that's all he ever really did care about.

And now she truly was happy now that she had her family and friends back. Her life, the life that had been brutally cut short before, had finally been restored to what it used to be.

Cassie couldn't be happier then she was right now.

* * *

This wasn't a moment that Tommy could even argue that he wanted to go through. He had been hoping he could avoid it all together, but he should've known better. He was going to have to face some of his demons sooner or later, but he would've much rather faced his god awful parents or had to fight The Source to death then have to do this.

Tommy swallowed all of that anxious fear down as he was finally cleared through security. He was then escorted into the elevator, sent all the way to the top floor of the building until he entered the penthouse of one Derek Bishop, his girlfriend's father.

Wishing that this night would hurry up and end, it turned out that magic wasn't going to let him escape this obligation. No matter how many times Tommy had tried to mutter a spell earlier that day, he was doomed to go through the hell that every guy had to experience at least once his life. He had to be properly introduced to his girlfriend's father, he was going to hate him, the night was going to be awful, and his girlfriend would rebel against her father then it was going to be hell from then on.

The only bright side was that Kate's sister, Susan, was her with her husband. It meant that their father was going to have to behave, somewhat, with all of this company present in his house for dinner.

Tommy was really beginning to question his sanity for letting Kate drag him into this. Facing down The Source head on was nowhere near as dumb as going through with meeting the family.

Still, he had to buckle down and grin through it all, which got a little better once he spotted Kate coming into the picture. She looked beautiful as always in the dress that she wore, while he matched her in the blazer, shirt, and slacks combo that she had picked out for him. It was all done so that he would look at least presentable for her father.

Kate still hasn't broken it to him that her boyfriend is an ex-juvie, reincarnated, speedster turned part-witch with the power to seal The Source of All Evil with a bonus of being able to project things at will. All he knew exactly was that Tommy was her teammate. It was hard enough not to get Derek Bishop to put a hit out on Tommy once he found out that she was dating. He had been a little overprotective of his daughter, especially now that he was aware of her superheroics.

Tommy knew that he was going through hell the moment that he shook hands with Derek Bishop. The grip that the man gave to the boy was frightening and laced with various threats. The most obvious being "if you hurt my daughter then I'm going to kill you with my shotgun" that most fathers give to their daughters' boyfriends.

It was moments like this that Tommy really envied Billy and Teddy. The Kaplans loved Teddy to death, and Teddy's parents were dead so they couldn't judge Billy. If only Kate's mom were still alive then maybe this death grip wouldn't be as severe as Tommy had to cast a minor healing spell to cover up the bruise that had formed. Even with his more durable skin, Mr. Bishop had a grip that would make the Hulk jealous.

"Now, Tommy," Derek said as he brought everyone to the table. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Kate tells me that you live at your base with some of your other teammates. Where are your parents?"

And there was the zinger. Tommy knew that the hard question was already going to go off. By the look on Kate's face, he knew that he was going to have to fabricate some of the story some to keep his head from flying off.

"My parents wanted nothing to do with me after they found out that I was a Mutant," said Tommy. "It doesn't matter though. They're not really really my family. It turns out that I'm the reincarnated son of the Avenger, the Scarlet Witch, and our teammate Wiccan is my reincarnated twin brother."

Derek Bishop stopped breathing for a second as Kate imagined that his head was going to explode. Susan broke the tense situation with a laugh, but even that died out after a couple of seconds when Derek had his eyes glued onto Tommy.

Kate and Tommy felt that the night was only going to get longer from then on.

* * *

"For bravery and outstanding performance on the field, and for all the other skills that you exemplified with the Young Avengers, Landon Samuels, I hereby dub you a Level 10 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Bowing his head some, Landon fought back the urge to smile as he stood inside the cockpit of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier. The Director attached a new patch on his official uniform while a round of thunderous applause filled the air from the various agents. Present agent and accomplices included his mentor the Black Widow, Captain America, Mockingbird, Sharon Carter, Spider-Woman, and Nick Fury Jr.

Landon straightened himself out as Director Johnson took a step back to salute him. He met her gesture with the same before he turned away to dismiss himself from the cockpit. It was tradition for Level 10's to remove themselves upon being promoted, in part just to look cool, and in part to receive their next assignments.

Part of the burden that came with being a Level 10 Agent meant that Landon's participation with the Young Avengers would be severally limited. Director Johnson did assure Landon though that they did want him to continue working with the team as they wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. to be involved with the next generation of heroes. It was important for the stability of the world that humans and meta-humans could live in harmony from one generation to the next.

Exiting from the cockpit, Landon made the long walk to Director Johnson's private office. It really was a long trek which didn't help to crush the anxiety he felt creeping up inside of his chest. There was a lot for him to prepare for, mentally, without even knowing what type of assignment he was to be given. He didn't know what to expect now that he was Level 10, but he was certain that it was something that he should be able to handle.

If he could fight The Source and his horde of Daemons then he could tackle anything that S.H.I.E.L.D. had to throw at him.

Anything at all, he knew that he could do it. But it was just not knowing what he was to do that was bothering him as he entered Director Johnson's office.

The moment that he entered it though, he felt that something was wrong. His sharpened senses triggered him into reacting by jumping back to throw his leg behind him. A firm grip grabbed him, leading him to see that it was the Black Widow that had snuck up behind him.

"You took a short-cut," Landon said to his mentor.

The Black Widow smirked as he saw through her as she returned his leg. In her other hand was a file that he realized was the classified information on his mission. She threw it on the Director's desk, dropping the hint that he was to read it over.

Landon reached out for it and began the process of seeing what his assignment was. She waited a while, giving him the chance to understand what was expected of him for this mission.

"We leave in two days," said the Black Widow. There wasn't any lie about that as Landon spotted the departure date as well as the location of the assignment. "You and I have a lot of work to do in Mexico. I highly suggest that you brush up on your Spanish and pack your sunscreen." She turned away from him, preparing to exit the office only to pause as the door began to open up. Landon looked at her, unable to see what it was that she had to say until she finally decided to speak. "Congratulations, Landon. I knew that you had it in you. Your father would be proud."

Landon didn't bother to hide his smile as she left him. He clenched onto the file with his thoughts running wild now that he had a moment to himself. He had truly pleased his mentor and he would please his father once he found out. It was a very proud moment for Landon as he finally reached his life's goal at such a young age.

If he didn't end up dead, Landon could see him running the place as he felt very comfortable in the Director's office.

He had plenty of time to worry about taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. His top priority right now though was to prepare for his latest assignment that he had the pleasure of working with the famous Black Widow.

* * *

It was over now as Jared left the gates of Avengers Mansion behind him. The young man kept on walking, leaving the party behind as the sunset began to set above him. There were plenty of paparazzi outside after the press found out about two new recruits for the Avengers. Jared was briefly ambushed by them, but after he told them that he wasn't part of the new recruits, they began to back off.

They didn't even bother to ask if he was one of the Young Avengers who was responsible for saving the world. Jared had to remember though that part of Billy and Tommy's spell had erased the memories of mortals of the Apocalypse. To put it simply, he helped to save the world but would never get any credit it for it.

Just like a typical Mutant. The bitterness of being left out was annoying, which caused Jared to hold up a special pendent that he had gotten from a Mutant named Wolverine. It was a giant, red "X" with yellow triangles on the inside.

Before he had left the party, Wolverine offered Jared to be part of his X-Men. A water-bender like him was exceptionally rare and valuable, but it would also provide Jared the opportunity to be amongst his own kind. He loved the Young Avengers so he wasn't quite ready to give them up just to join another club.

Maybe he could be like Wolverine by playing both sides. It would be kind of cool to say he is a Young Avenger and an X-Man.

As he was stepping further away from the mansion, a slight tremble in the earth caused him to pause for a second. Jared shook his head before continuing his lonely walk to the subway when a firm hand grabbed him where he was then pulled to a hard chest. A pair of lips ghosted over his neck with the smell of alcohol caught in his nose as he heard a light chuckle escape from his captor.

"You left the party without saying goodbye to me," said Joseph as his hands ran over Jared's hips.

The water-bender twisted himself free, all while his hand still clung onto his partner's hand. Jared looked at the half-drunk man, noticing the extremely giddy and horny look on his face, which always meant trouble. "I got tired," Jared said to him. "Plus, I figured that you and Vanessa should enjoy yourselves. You're part of this special team of Avengers that Captain America created with Wolverine. What are you called again?"

Joseph laughed as he threw himself against a wall with a hearty laugh escaping his chest. He coughed a bit in order to properly mimic the voice of one Steve Rodgers. "_We are the Uncanny Avengers! Avengers Assemble!"_ Joseph said, laughing as the booze continued to run through his system. He dropped his ass to the ground with his hand still clinging onto Jared as he forced him to sit with him.

Landing on his lap, Jared curled himself against the familiar body as nightfall fell over New York. The lights lit up one by one, but not their dark corner as they were left in the privacy of darkness. Jared looked at their interlocked fingers, their skin melding with water and earth connecting.

"You look really pretty against all of this lighting," said Joseph. "The city suits you."

"It's noisy though," huffed Jared. "I would much rather be someplace quitter like Viktor and Sasha. They ran off to some little village in France."

Joseph's lips found their way onto Jared's neck. His teeth left little bites against the flesh, causing Jared to quiver a little as he pressed his side against him. "We could go away for a while," said the earth bender. "The Captain offered Nessa and I some vacation time. She told me that she was going to take off to some island with She-Hulk and Spider-Woman. You and I should do something; just go off the grid for a week or a month."

Jared smirked as he enjoyed the idea of that, but continued to play along with Joseph's fantasy as he probed him for what this adventure might be.

"We could go someplace cold," Joseph said as his hands went inside Jared's shirt. "We would have to stay under the covers and huddle naked for warmth though since it'll be too cold to do anything else." His hands started to grab Jared's hand, placing it against the zipper to his pants. He had Jared pull it down before pushing the hand inside. "Or we can go someplace hot where we'll have to walk around naked."

Jared pulled his hand out once he felt the drunken bulge before leaning down a bit to zip him back up. His lips ghosted over Joseph's as he sniffed the musk that was coming off his earthy body. "Get up," said Jared. "We need to go fuck, now!"

Grinning from getting exactly what he wanted, Joseph followed Jared's lead to someplace a little more private. Seedy, classy, or homey, Joseph didn't give a fuck so long as he got to fuck Jared in the end.

* * *

The morning dew felt great against her toes as she followed the off beaten trail. Mulan had found herself outside the village that her parents had grown up in China. She was silent as she carried in her hands what little mementos she had left from her family that had survived Supernova's attack. What she could carry in her box was all that survived, which made her feel horribly depressed when she thought about it but at least they would serve their purpose.

When she found the perfect spot, Mulan knelt down and began to take some of the things out from the box. She sorted everything out until she knew what it was that she was going to keep and what was to be used for her ceremony. Placing the "to keep" stuff back in the box, she pulled out a pack of matches in order to deal with the rest of it.

She remembered hearing about her parents' request to be cremated should they ever die. She had talked about it once with her brother while they were held captive, his request was the same. Since she had no idea what her older sister wanted, she just had to assume that she had wished to be cremated like them.

There were no bodies to burn though so Mulan had to do the next best thing. She used some of their personal belongs to serve the symbolic purpose. Inside the box was an urn that she planned on using so to keep their ashes with her.

A fire quickly came soon enough as Mulan burned the ground with her photonic blasts before dropping the match to finish the job. Proudly, holding back tears, she sang a prayer for them as she bid her family safety as they were reunited with their ancestors. As she finished her song, Mulan promised to always be strong and that she would one day join them.

Brushing a stray tear aside, Mulan became aware that somebody was behind her. She finally chose to acknowledge the stranger once the flames had seemed to be well under control. It was a surprise for her to see _her _there, all dressed up in a new uniform too.

Carol Danvers faced the young woman who was holding a private cremation for her family. It was a hard sight to see, but Carol had gone through her fair share of pain in her life to help as she took a few steps closer to the girl whose life was forever changed because of her. That type of guilt burned her bad, but Carol tried not to show it as she watched the growing fire.

"You got a new suit," Mulan said, breaking the silence.

It was true. Carol wore a full, black bodysuit that showed off her physique nicely. Wrapped around her waist was the red she had worn from her old uniform while on top of her suit was a yellow star that ran with yellow lines and a splash of red around her shoulders and neck. Her hair was styled in an upward as a lot of it had been chopped off in the recent days.

Carol nodded her head as she crossed her arms over her chest, showing off the red armguards that she wore. "War and the Apocalypse can change a woman," said Carol. "I went through a lot during all of this fighting, I had to do a lot of soul-searching too. That's why I decided to become the new Captain Marvel."

"Kind of stealing Teddy's thunder, are we?" Mulan said, lightly chuckling. "That's his dad's title."

"It was Captain Mar-Vell, actually," said Carol. "We humans are kind of dumb. Besides, I don't think Teddy will mind. He is going to be the leader of the Kree or the Skrull soon. He'll be too busy with politics to save the world."

"And Billy," said Mulan, "can't forget about the hubby."

Carol agreed as she thought back to the poor boy that she had thought about having killed once. She had been so wrong about Billy and his mother too. If only should could take that back, if only she could take back a lot of the things she had done.

Or done because of her.

"I didn't come here to talk about Teddy and Billy," Carol said, looking at the flames. "I came to apologize to you…and your family."

"Don't," Mulan said, bluntly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Carol tried to say something else, only to be cut off by Mulan covering her mouth. She had to look the Orient girl in the eye and listen to her, but noticed that there was nothing malicious brewing so she stayed calm.

Mulan took her hand off her mouth as she knelt down before the flames. She slowly began to brush them away until there was nothing but the ashes of what remained left. "I hated you when Supernova first experimented on me," said Mulan. "I hated you for what he did to my family because of you. I hated you for a long time." She grabbed the urn and began to throw the ashes inside now that they had cooled down some. "But I don't anymore because I realized that it wasn't you fault. You didn't even know."

Standing back up on her feet, Mulan sealed the urn. "I know that if you had known what Supernova had done then you would've done the best to stop it," said Mulan. "Even if you couldn't have saved my family on time, I knew that you would've tried to do something at least. You're a strong woman, Carol, but I'm strong now too."

Placing the urn inside the box, Mulan began to finish her back before facing Carol once more. "Despite the hell I had to go through, I know none that of it is your fault," said Mulan. "But because of what happened, I know have the strength to help prevent that something like this can never happen to another girl and her family. I can fight and do something far greater with my life then I ever could if I just grew up like a normal kid."

"So…thank you, Captain Marvel," said Mulan. "Thank you for caring enough to be here for the ceremony. It means a lot to me and my family."

Carol couldn't believe any of it. She had been prepared for Mulan to hit her, beat her, but here she was thanking her for being here for a funeral. It was moving and showed Carol that she still had a lot of growing up to do on her own.

If a fifteen year old girl could be this strong, what excuse did she have for being weak? Not that she was, but there was still a lot of growth that Carol had to do before she could be someone she was proud of.

There was a brief hug between them as Carol promised to be there whenever Mulan needed it. Her real family might be gone, but she had another family now amongst the Avengers that would stand beside her anytime. Mulan was thankful for the gesture as she carried the last relics of her family as they flew off to return home.

* * *

Eli sat inside the living room of his grandparents' house, scrolling through his laptop. He caught sight of Sam in the kitchen with his grandmother as Sam was busy helping her with dinner. His grandfather was in his room, taking a nap, which kept things quite enough for Eli to do his work.

School was done with and the whole point that Eli came back to New York was to help his friends save the world. With evil defeated, Eli had to figure out what he was going to do with his life now. He was certain that Sam was going to be a part of it now since she said nothing about going back to Arizona or taking off with her father. He had to do something though since he couldn't just sit around in his grandparents' house all day.

Which is why he ended up looked through some internship that he could do since he missed the deadline for all the schools. Saving the world kind of screwed him over in the academic sense so he figured he could kill some time and gains some valuable experience. He wanted to get involved with something medical or that dealt heavily with tech, obviously tech being the better deal since that provided more freedom to continue being Patriot.

There was a lot of laughter coming from the kitchen, which led to Eli growing a little bit concerned. The last time that there was this much laughing, his grandmother was showing naked baby pictures of him to Sam. He immediately dropped what he was doing and went into the kitchen without looking like he was too suspicious of them.

"What's so funny?" Eli asked as he found there to be some serious soul food brewing. It smelled super delicious, making his stomach growl with hunger pains.

Sam and his grandmother laughed at him. "We were talking about this thing I did at school before we left," she told him. "Do you remember Cindy Geller?"

"The girl who kept getting in trouble with, Mrs. Dillon?" said Eli. "Yeah, I think I know what you're talking about.

"Poor girl," said his grandmother. "I don't know how one girl can be so naturally clumsy. Hopefully, she can learn to walk without crashing into anything."

Eli agreed as he remembered all the trouble that the girl got into. He ignored all of that though as he asked to borrow Sam for a couple of minutes. His grandmother let her go for a moment so that Sam could go back into the living room with Eli.

The laptop still had the internships on full screen which he began to show off. He explained what he had planned since he wasn't going to be in school for the better part of a year. She was impressed by this as he sat back down on the sofa as he pulled up a new tab to show off something else.

Sam's eyes widened when she saw what it was. She turned to him, jaw dropped as she stuttered out if he was serious.

"Yeah," said Eli. "I figured if you weren't leaving then maybe you'd like to pick up an internship too. I know you didn't have any time to apply for school either, and this way we can both get our futures moving without worrying about doing nothing besides punching bad guys."

"But it's an internship to the Ashford Firm!" said Sam. "Do you not have any idea how prestigious that firm is?" Her mind was running at a million miles per hour. Eli had been aware of her goal to go into law school to become a lawyer before becoming a judge. It's partly why he pulled up these paralegal internships. "If I get accepted and they like me, I'll be set. Every law school in the country will want me."

Eli nodded his head, well aware of this as he showed her the application.

Sam was absolutely thrilled as she took his laptop away from him and began the process of filling it out. Oh, how she loved this boy. She had to kiss him a couple of time just to show how much before putting her attention back on the computer screen.

Left alone, Eli was grinning, stretching a bit while she continued working on the application.

* * *

There was a feeling of dread looming in the air as they danced together. Even on what should be a happy day as their family and friends were gathered here, they knew it would be far from what it should be as the Skrull and Kree's forces were present. The only thing that kept Teddy from being pried away from Billy was the presence of the Avengers and X-Men. It was the only thing that kept the newlyweds together as Teddy's destiny was hovering above their heads.

Billy couldn't stand any of it as he pushed himself against Teddy's arms. He didn't want any of this to end, but what else could he do when two of the most powerful alien empires in the universe were threatening his husband. There was nothing else that could be done. Teddy had to go away in order to fulfill his role by bringing peace to the Skrull and Kree.

It was something that everyone was hoping for. The war between the two aliens had always put them in danger, the conflict needed to end if there was ever any chance for the Earth to be safe from at least two dangerous enemies.

As much as Billy wanted to go with Teddy, there was just no way that could happen. Billy's place was on Earth even if he carried Teddy's ring. They might be married, but destiny was keeping them apart for the time being so that there could potentially be a future for them.

Teddy didn't want Billy there when he left, which was only a few hours from now. It would be hard enough to say goodbye, but seeing Billy's face as he was leaving would be too much for Teddy to handle. He tried not to think about it, trying to focus on how handsome Billy looked in their matching tux during their reception.

It turns out that Northstar did hold up to his promise. He helped to throw a fabulous reception for the young couple, giving them everything that they needed to have a day that they would remember.

All around them, everyone tried to celebrate this happy occasion. They all knew what was brewing over the horizon, but tried to make the best of it anyway. Everyone knew that it was only going to difficult for the newlyweds as they had no other choice but to grin and bear the trouble of being worlds apart.

Teddy and Billy tried to be happy as they watched everyone else.

Billy's brothers were harassing the Hulk, which seemed like it wouldn't end well. The boys would end up getting smashed at this rate if the younger of the two hadn't gone on about how cool the Hulk was. In the end, the Hulk gave the boys a ride on his back and took a massive leap into the air with the both of them screaming at the top of their lungs out of joy.

Nearby, Wanda was sitting with and talking to Billy's parents. Pietro was nearby with their father coming forward to introduce himself. The Kaplans had already been warned about their son being the reincarnated grandson of the Mutant terrorist, but it was still a bit of a shocker. One that Billy would defiantly hear about later.

Tommy had dragged Kate out to dance, oddly enough, after surviving his encounter with her father. The two were grinning from ear to ear as they danced. They weren't alone though. Sam brought Eli to the dance floor with Jared and Joseph not that far behind either.

Cassie and The Vision sat with her complicated family. Scott was talking to his wife, Peggy, and her husband, all of whom behaved surprisingly well. The animosity that had resided between them all melted away now that they had Cassie back.

A few feet away, Mulan plopped down in a chair beside Jessica and Luke. She was playing with their baby, Danielle, as her namesake and Uncle Daniel came in to greet his niece. There was a lot of laughter as the baby girl jumbled nonsense together.

Landon was busying himself by talking to Steve and Logan about the new team of Avengers. There were some routine questions that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted answered, but he tried to keep the business talk to a minimum since he didn't want to steal his friends' thunder.

The sun slowly began to set with all the cake demolished by the guests. Billy and Teddy were still out on the dance floor with their arms locked around each other as they knew that the time was coming for them. Neither one said much, but the fear was coming to reality as Noh-Varr and Kl'rt emerged from the crowd of well-wishers.

"Forgive me, my prince," said Kl'rt. "There is restlessness amongst the Kree and Skrull."

"You're going to have to end this soon," Noh-Varr said, calmly. "I suggest that you start saying your goodbyes before they get to antsy."

And so it was ending. Teddy gripped onto Billy's hand, not wishing to let him go but knowing that reality was having her way with their hearts. Teddy leaned forward, briefly kissing Billy on the nose since he knew how much his husband liked that. Nothing was said after that as Billy released him, allowing Teddy to go off on his own for a moment.

There were a lot of tears and hugs from everyone there. Teddy found it hardest of all to say goodbye to his teammates, his surrogate family. Each one he said goodbye to felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart. He would miss them all, they had been through too much together. Even the new additions, he was going to miss not having a chance to get to know them better. He truly wished to get to know more about Samantha, Landon, Mulan, and even Jared.

It was a shame, but reality.

Teddy said goodbye to those of the Avengers and X-Men that he had connections to. Jessica's hug was one of the longest out of them all before Wanda out did her. Wanda pried herself away, allowing Pietro and Eric to say goodbye to the teen as well as wishing him luck. The Kaplans were all over him after that, disappointed that their son-in-law was abandoning them so soon. His father and mother-in-law were looking forward to adopted grandchildren, while his young brothers-in-law wanted the alien new addition to take them out on a spaceship.

After he said his goodbyes to them, he turned his sights back on Billy. His eyes met those of his husband's eyes to see the tears that were boiling over. Sensing that Billy would burst at any minute, Teddy rushed towards him and embraced him so that he would never be forgotten.

"I'll be back for you," whispered Teddy. "I'll come back to you as soon as I can."

Taking in his scent for what will be the last time in ages, Billy lost himself in the sweet musk. He pulled his face away from Teddy's shoulder to deliver a heartfelt kiss on his lips. "Don't you dare forget me," said Billy. "I'll be here waiting. Don't make me wait too long though."

"I promise," Teddy said, touching his face to remember every inch of Billy.

A long kiss was met between them before Teddy heard his guardians call him away. He forced himself away from Billy as much as it hurt, and began to turn away to leave for his destiny. He looked at Billy who looked him in the eye, holding back all of his tears. There was no need for making this harder than it had to be.

Teddy closed his eyes, walking away from everybody that he knew. He was entering a life where he knew nobody and had much opposition. The next time that he returned to Earth…he might not be even close to being the same Teddy that he was now.

The one thing that he could hope for was that he would return to see Billy smiling, not crying.

* * *

Adorned in the jewels and robes from the Skrull, Teddy shifted into his Skrull form as he stood outside the Skrull starship. He had been stripped out of the tuxedo that he had warn for his ceremony and put on the robes to make him look more like a true royal. He was surrounded by both members of the Skrull and the Kree. Noh-Varr and Kl'rt were also with him in order to ensure his protection as they prepared to escort the Crowned Prince Dorrek VIII to his destiny.

It was hard to do this, he hated this situation but he knew that there was no turning back. Bringing peace between the two races was too important to go ignored. Teddy knew that if he failed then his peoples would continue fighting, and that fighting would come to the Earth where it would hurt everyone that he loved. He didn't want that to happen so he swallowed all of that fear as he embraced his duties, while saying farewell to those he loved.

The Super Skrull stepped back as Noh-Varr was busy yelling at some soldiers. He shied towards his prince, bowing before looking up to face the Hatchling. "You will be safe, my prince," said Kl'rt. "Noh-Varr and I vow to guard you well."

"Thank you, Kl'rt," said Teddy, "but it's still a lot to deal with." He turned his head back to see the field that stood before him. Not wanting to see their faces as he left, Teddy made it so that he would leave with the Skrull and Kree far away from the city. It was supposed to make it easier, but his heart still ached. "I just can't bring myself to say goodbye to my home. There's still too much for me here."

"If all things go well," said Kl'rt, "then you can return to see them soon. The sooner our people and the Kree can create a treaty then the sooner you can return." The Super Skrull held his hand out to the young man. The teen still had fear in his eyes despite him easily able to provoke fear amongst humans in his larger, green form. "We must hurry, my prince. We don't want to risk either side turning against you."

Teddy agreed as he accepted the gesture and kept on walking towards his destiny. He was nearly in the starship when he swore he could've heard someone calling out his name. At first, he played it off as his feelings of anxiety only to hear it again but this time the Super Skrull and the other soldiers stopped moving. He knew it had to be happening so he looked behind him to see Billy, still in his tux, running towards the ship.

It killed Teddy to see Billy here, after they had agreed that he would stay away from Teddy's departure. He should've known better than to believe that Billy would allow that to happen which is why he didn't find it as a surprise that Billy had his arms around him in a second. The feeling of the young sorcerer's body around him was one of relief, but one that Teddy refused to succumb to as he didn't want to say goodbye.

Billy didn't want it to end either as he continued to hang onto Teddy in his Skrull form. Even with his scaly physique and the roughness of his flesh, Billy didn't give a damn as he took comfort in being here with him. "You didn't honestly think you were going to leave, did you?" asked Billy.

"I can't stay, Billy," said Teddy. "You know that the Skrull and Kree would hunt me down."

"They'll have to get passed the teenager who defeated The Source if they try anything funny," said Billy. Arms furthered to cling onto Teddy as Billy pressed himself closer. The soldiers had left them behind to prepare for departure as Billy cast a spell to cause the door to seal themselves off. "The only way that you're going to leave this planet, Theodore, is if you take me with you. I'm not going to live here by myself. I'll go into space with you."

Teddy had originally planned for Billy to come with him, but he had thought it impossible. There was too magic on Earth for the Sorcerer Supreme just to up and leave. "You can't!" Teddy said as he realized the doors were closed. "What about your duties?"

"I'm just a spell away," Billy said as the roar of the engines began to go off. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Altman. You said it yourself, 'till death do us part'."

Smiling, Teddy should've known better as he shifted into human form. Even the weight of the jewels on his flesh couldn't weigh down the joy that he felt. He finally decided to throw it all away as he gave into his emotions and embraced Billy with every fiber of his being. He lifted his husband up, pressing their lips firmly together as the starships began to ascend to the sky. Slowly, they made it out of the atmosphere to reach space just as Teddy and Billy celebrated their union and their new lives together.

Meanwhile, on the ground where the starships once stood, Tommy had brought the rest of the Young Avengers just in time. They knew that Teddy and Billy couldn't see or hear them, but that didn't matter. They were there to see their friends off. As the starships left their sight, the Young Avengers bid their friends farewell and good luck.

They might be apart now, but none of them would be forgotten from their lives. Destiny might be pulling them apart, but it would always bring them back together. The group of misfits who came together every time that the Avengers themselves had fallen apart was finally growing up to lead their own lives. Now though, it was time for them to become the heroes and adults that they were meant to be.

They were going to follow their hearts into the future, doing what they felt was right, and protecting the world while they were at it.

* * *

End!

Love you all and thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading the fic. Tell me what you think. Peace out!


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